


The Bounty

by stella_pegasi



Category: Stargate - All Series, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-04
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 05:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stella_pegasi/pseuds/stella_pegasi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bounty has been placed on Sheppard and his team, but by whom? An old enemy or by a new one?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Price on Their Heads

**Author's Note:**

> Genre(s): Action/Adventure, H/C, Whump  
> Spoilers: Set after Season 5, Events in Inquisition  
> Warnings: Minor language  
> Het/Slash/Gen: Gen  
> Word count: ~27,500 (6 Chapters)  
> Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.  
> Written for LiveJournal community sheppard_hc's Summer Fic Exchange as a gift to maddie_amber, who wanted Sheppard whumped…I did my best!
> 
>  

**BOUNTY**

 **Chapter one: Price on their Heads**

 _By stella_pegasi_

The ball of hot, molten lead tore through John Sheppard's shoulder, causing him to stumble, but he kept running. He ignored the scalding sensation flaring along his left arm that quickly turned to numbness. Sheppard risked glancing behind him, and through the dimming light, he caught a glimpse of Ronon. Two of the bounty hunters were dragging Ronon's prone body into the fortress.

Once the bounty hunters had Ronon, Rodney and Teyla secured, they would be coming after him. They had made it clear that he was their prime target. Sheppard was certain as long as he eluded capture, his team would be safe. He had to give Captain Isaacs' team enough time to return to the stargate, request reinforcements from Atlantis, and find them. He had to keep running.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sheppard and his team gated to PX3-8872, around mid-day to investigate a report filed by Captain Stackhouse following a mission the day before. In a tavern located in the largest village near the stargate, Stackhouse's team had discovered a flyer that offered a considerable reward for the capture of Sheppard and his team. The first real lead they had uncovered since the rumors of a bounty being placed on SGA-1 had reached Atlantis. Despite Richard Woolsey's objections, Sheppard had convinced him that they should investigate. Woolsey felt it better to send other teams to make inquiries, keeping Sheppard's team safe on Atlantis. He reluctantly agreed to Sheppard's plan as long as another team accompanied them.

With Captain Isaacs and his team along for security, they entered the village after a twenty-minute walk from the stargate. The village was modern by Pegasus' standards; the main streets were paved with flat stones. The buildings were constructed of stone or painted wood. Transportation seems to be primarily by carts and wagons drawn by animals called equua, horse-like animals often traded between planets. According to Stackhouse, the tavern was located on a side street approximately two blocks from the town center. With two members of Isaacs' team leading the way, the Atlantians headed in that direction.

As they turned down a narrow street, Rodney yelped, "Son of a bitch, don't they ever clean up after those damn horses?" He scrunched his face in disgust as he looked at his left boot, covered in animal waste.

Sheppard chuckled, "Crap, Rodney' you stepped in crap. Couldn't you smell it?"

"Smell it, this entire village smells like shit. Am I supposed to be able to smell every pile?"

Ronon slapped Rodney on the back, "That's what you use your eyes for, McKay."

They all walked ahead, with the exception of Isaacs, who stayed with McKay. The young captain supported the aggravated scientist, as he scraped his boot along the edge of the wooden sidewalk to remove the gunk. Sheppard smiled to himself; Isaacs had more patience with McKay than even he did, a commendable trait, in his opinion.

The pub in question had a nondescript entrance, a narrow door with a small round window and a wide window across the storefront, covered by a heavy drape. Ronon pulled the door open and walked in first, Sheppard behind him.

A long, rough wood bar extended across the back of the tavern, while dirty, gaslight chandeliers cast a dim light over the smoky room. There were seven patrons, two at the bar, and five others, three of whom were enjoying nahji pipes. Sheppard scanned their faces and was surprised at the disinterest shown as they entered the tavern. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, usually at least Ronon and Teyla created a stir when they entered an unfamiliar place. Something didn't feel right.

Sheppard motioned to Ronon, "Come with me; the rest of you, take a seat." Ronon followed him to the bar. The barkeep was a short, chubby man with graying hair; he was sitting on a stool, leaning against the wall, apparently asleep. Sheppard picked up a heavy mug and stuck the bar with it; the barkeep jumped, nearly falling off the stool.

"Wha…what do you want?" He asked angrily, as he stared at the two men.

Sheppard pulled the flyer from under his TAC vest, "Who left this in your bar?"

The barkeep gave the flyer a fleeting glance and croaked, "How would I know, never saw it before."

"It was found in this bar yesterday; someone left it here and I want to know who it was."

The barkeep jeered, "You're just going have to figure it out on your own; I don’t know. Now are you gonna drink, cause if you aren't, get out of here. So what will it be, cider, ale or a nahji?"

Sheppard stared at the man, then answered, "Eight ciders." Turning to his group, Sheppard called for Sergeant Powers and Corporal Danzig to come help with the drinks.

As they sat down at two of the tables, Lieutenant Riva took the mug Danzig handed him, "Thanks, Sara. Colonel, what are those things?" He pointed to the tall structure sitting on each table, a glass bowl of water at the base, a slender cylinder extended to a small metal bowl at the top, metal tubes with hoses attached to them extended from the base.

"They're like hookahs, smoking machines, very popular in the Middle East," Sheppard smiled, "I take it you never did a tour of Afghanistan or Iraq, lieutenant."

"No sir; was recruited by the SGC right out of the Academy. I never had the pleasure of serving in-county with my fellow Marines, sir."

"I didn't think so, if you had, you'd be very familiar with a hookah. They are very popular over there."

They continued to discuss the hookah's popularity among soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq until Isaacs' team finished their ciders. Sheppard then sent them out to scout the nearby area, looking for flyers left in other businesses.

Teyla picked up the flyer that Sheppard had laid on the table. "Colonel; do you have any sense of who might want to put a bounty on our heads?"

Sheppard leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face before he answered, "I suspect that could be a pretty long list." He sighed, "If I was a betting man…"

McKay scoffed, "You are a betting man."

Sheppard flashed a snarky frown at McKay, and continued, "I am a betting man, and I would bet on our good friend from the Coalition."

"Shiana, " Teyla said quietly.

"That would be my guess, the few times I have seen her at Coalition council meetings, she's made it clear that she still despises me."

"Why would she risk doing something like this? Woolsey said the council was circulating a notice that this wasn't a true bounty, and whoever put out the bounty would be arrested." McKay seemed puzzled.

"Shiana still blames us…me…uh, Atlantis for the deaths of her husband and children. I really don't think she is going to forget that regardless of how the other members of the Pegasus Coalition feel."

Ronon spoke, "I thought Woolsey got that all straightened out."

Sheppard chuckled, "I think Richard simply did a better job of bribing the jury, so to speak, than Shiana did. The fact is we don't have a clue, for the moment, who put a price on our heads." He sighed, "I want more cider, anyone else?" Sheppard stood up; only Ronon said yes and Sheppard headed for the bar.

Another thirty minutes passed before Isaacs' team returned; Riva and Danzig had found another flyer at the butcher shop. This one had Sheppard's name circled on it. Teyla stared at the thin paper.

"John, I believe you are correct. This certainly feels like something Shiana would do; she has consistently been against any involvement of Atlantis in Coalition affairs.

McKay shook his head, "She's no idiot. I don't understand why she would do this, knowing that she would be the first person suspected."

"Revenge can fester for years until it is quenched, McKay." Ronon said quietly, exchanging a glance with Teyla. A glance noticed by Sheppard; he had always felt there was something Teyla and Ronon had not told him. Some day, he thought he was going to have to ask.

Sheppard asked Isaacs, "No other information, captain?"

"No, sir; nothing they seem willing to share with us. But, I got the feeling the people in this town know something; they're a bit skittish, sir."

"Okay, people, let's take a stroll around the village." Sheppard left the table, followed by the others. He paused at the door and looked around at McKay, "Watch out for the crap, Rodney." Smiling, Sheppard stepped outside.

They spent the next hour walking around the village. Isaacs' observation about the people was borne out by the attitude of the villagers. They were decidedly standoffish around the Atlantians.

Rodney was exasperated, "Really, Sheppard; this window shopping is so much fun. I've seen plenty of things I want to buy. Can we go home now?"

Sheppard sighed, "Yes, we can; I think we have given them enough time."

"Given who enough time?"

"The bad guys, Rodney; we needed to be visible where we knew people were aware of the bounty, in order to draw someone out. Only way we are going to find out who's behind this."

"We're bait?"

"Yeah, I guess we are. More than likely, we'll be approached by a few locals, and we'll be able to overpower them. Then we can find out who distributed the flyers. Come on; let's head back to the gate."

With Isaacs and Danzig on point, and Riva and Powers on the six, they passed the outer edge of the village, and once again, the hairs on the back of Sheppard's neck were on end. He scanned the woods along the path, someone was watching them, "Heads up, everyone; we're being watched."

Rodney snorted, "Your spidy sense in overdrive again, Shep…"

Rodney didn't get to finish, as at least twelve men dropped from the trees and quickly took out Isaacs' team, although not without a fight. Isaacs managed to clip the jaw of one of the hunters with his P-90 before another hunter struck him in the head with some sort of padded leather baton. Danzig was able to draw her weapon, but one of the hunters grabbed her hand, wrestling the gun from her. She managed to get a quick punch into his gut, doubling him over before he hit her with another baton. Powers and Riva suffered the same quick dispatch.

Ronon was taking on two of the bounty hunters, and Teyla had attempted to help Rodney, who had thrown a punch and knocked his attacker back. The attacker quickly recovered, and overpowered Rodney, while another gained control of Teyla. Sheppard had landed a few solid punches, and had taken some strong blows. He had driven a fist into his assailant's stomach before he was struck from behind by a baton, knocking him to the ground. Ronon followed quickly as four men subdued him.

Sheppard managed to pull himself to his knees, and struggled to take a deep breath, stopping as a wave of pain coursed through his abdomen. He was shaking, but determined to stand up; he forced himself to his feet, getting his first clear look at the bounty hunters. He realized that he had misjudged who would be coming after them. These men behaved like military; they were organized, well trained, and well armed.

Despite the effort it took to speak, he managed to mutter, "Who are you?"

A tall man, sporting a bloody nose after tangling with Ronon, approached him, and answered sarcastically, "Your captors. However, I am a bit surprised at how difficult it was to capture you. You fight much better than we had assumed." He motioned to some of his men, "tie them up, and let's get to the gate."

Sheppard looked at Isaacs and his team, all unconscious, "What are you going to do with them."

"Don't worry, no reward, so we have no quarrel with them. We simply tapped them with the staves; they'll be fine. If I were you, I'd start worrying about what was going to happen to you." He glared at Sheppard and then walked away.

The hunters bound their hands behind them and forced them to walk toward the gate. As they were passing Isaacs and Danzig, Sheppard noticed that Danzig's eyes were open. She blinked to let him know she was conscious, but Sheppard gave a barely perceptible shake to his head. He wanted her to stay put; she didn't move.

"Hey, where are we gating to, we have a right to know?" Sheppard yelled at the leader, who only laughed in reply. Sheppard didn't ask again; he hoped Danzig would understand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daylight was quickly fading as Sheppard ran through the thick brush. The sharp, slender brambles stung as they cut into his face and arms, and snagged his black BDU pants, but he kept pushing. He had no delusions that he was going to elude the bounty hunters for long, but every moment he could delay the inevitable, gave Atlantis a chance to find them. As he made his way through the dimming light, he thought back to the moments as they gated to this planet.

Once they had reached the gate, Sheppard resisted the urge to scan the area to see if Danzig understood to follow them and observe the gate address, fearing the hunters would notice. His other fear, that the bounty hunters would take them through more than one gate, was quickly alleviated when they only traveled through the gate once.

Leading away from the gate, on the new planet, was a wide road; a large transport was waiting for them. As they were being loaded into the enclosed rear of the truck, Sheppard heard the driver inform the leader that _she_ had arrived at the fortress. _She_ was most likely Shiana, the one woman in Pegasus, who would like to see him dead. At least he thought she was the only woman in Pegasus, who would like to kill him. If this were the Milky Way galaxy, he suspected the list would be somewhat longer.

"You guys, okay," Sheppard asked.

Rodney frowned, "Just peachy, considering we've been kidnapped."

Sheppard frowned back but didn't respond to Rodney's comment, "Listen, I heard the driver say, _she_ is at the fortress. That's probably where we are going."

Teyla asked, "She, colonel: I suppose 'she' would be Shiana?"

"That's what I think, it's the only thing that makes sense."

Looking at Ronon, who was quiet, his face was bruised, his lip cut, Sheppard asked, "Chewie, you put up a hell of a fight, took four of them to take you down."

Ronon looked decidedly unhappy, "I shouldn't have let them; but Sheppard, those guys are good."

Sheppard worked his jaw from side to side; his own lower lip was cut, and he had taken a huge hit to his left jaw. "No argument here, but don't be hard on yourself. Those guys are professionals. I'd imagine that they were military somewhere. Rodney, what are you doing?" Sheppard had noticed Rodney was squirming.

"I think I can get my ropes undone, leave me alone,"

Rodney had been able to get the ropes binding his hands loose, rattling on about his nimble fingers that his piano teacher had raved about until Ronon threatened him. Rodney then undid his and Ronon's bindings, but before he could untie Teyla, the transport stopped abruptly.

Sheppard hurriedly told them what to do when the doors opened. He wanted Ronon to get away and make his way back to the gate. The Satedan was younger, stronger, and quicker, giving him a better chance of reaching the stargate. When the hunters opened the transport's rear doors, as planned, Rodney acted like he tripped, falling onto two of the four hunters accompanying them. Sheppard and Ronon took out the other two, but Rodney's two assailants recovered quickly. Ronon yelled at Sheppard to run, taking on both men, giving him time to reach the tree line. As he disappeared into the heavy underbrush, he heard the retort of a weapon and then felt the slug rip through his shoulder. Before he disappeared from sight, he had looked back to see Ronon being dragged through the large gate.

Sheppard had been running for nearly five minutes, and his shoulder felt warm and tacky under his TAC vest. He was bleeding, and he knew he had to tend to his wound, or he wouldn't get very far at all. There was very little light left, so he quickly looked for a place to stop. Glimpsing a clump of the extremely tall trees surrounding him, he made his way, finding a natural niche formed in the base of the trees. Gingerly, he eased down onto the soft, spongy ground, leaning against the rough tree trunk. For a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to slow down his breathing.

Once his heart stopped slamming in his chest, Sheppard took a breath. He felt blood running down his face, dripping into his mouth. Instinctively he raised his hand, wincing as he touched his tender cheek, his fingers now covered in blood. A sharp bramble apparently had sliced opened his BDUs, exposing a long deep cut along his right thigh, beads of blood now sliding across his skin, dripping onto the ground.

His main concern was the bullet wound in his shoulder. The small metal slug entered just under the edge of his TAC vest and had enough velocity to pass through his left shoulder. He was thankful he still had his vest, and the bandages tucked in a couple of pockets. Pulling two thick pressure bandages out, he slipped one under his vest near his armpit, the other under the front edge of his vest. He was hoping the pressure from the vest would stop the bleeding. He took a drink of water, rinsing the blood from his mouth. After he spit that water out, he took another drink to wash away the metallic taste.

With his plan to have Ronon head to the gate foiled, Sheppard knew he couldn't remain long in one place. However, he needed a few minutes to rest before he moved. He would never be able to get to the gate, not with the injuries he had sustained. He had to figure out a way to rescue his friends alone, in case Danzig hadn't determined the address where they gated. After a short rest, he pushed himself up, using a tree for leverage, and headed deeper into the forest as the sun dipped further toward the horizon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Major Evan Lorne ran up the gate room stairs toward the main landing between the control room and the conference room, where Richard Woolsey was waiting for him. Behind him, on the gate room floor, medics were triaging Captain Isaacs' team. He had left Major Teldy debriefing Isaacs when Woolsey summoned him.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Woolsey pointed to the injured Marines, "Are they alright?"

"Yes, sir; everyone but Danzig got knocked out, but they seem fine."

"Major, I was about to contact you when Danzig dialed in; obviously I waited until your teams returned with Isaacs and his team. I received a message from Kelore of Latira. He had some disturbing news; he said that Shiana, of the Tribes of Santhal has been abducted from the new world where her people and other refugees have settled."

Lorne blew out a deep breath, "Whoa, does Kelore have any idea who took her, sir?"

"No, just that a group of men were seen near her home, and when her aide went to her home to escort her to Latira for a council meeting, she was gone."

"And someone wants us to think that the colonel and his team have a bounty on their heads, a bounty we suspected was put there by Shiana." Lorne shook his head, a sarcastic grin on his face, "I think it's evident that neither situation is true, sir."

"No, that's very evident. Get Isaacs and his team to the infirmary and I'll meet you there in a few minutes. I'm going to have Chuck send a message to Kelore; I want him here."

"Yes, sir," and Lorne quickly headed down to the gate room, following as the medics transported their patients to the infirmary.

When Woolsey joined them, Lorne was talking with Isaacs and Corporal Danzig. Lorne noticed his approach, "Mr. Woolsey; the corporal managed to get the address where Colonel Sheppard, and the others were taken. I have Zelenka checking the planet out now."

Woolsey smiled wanly at the corporal, "Good job, corporal."

"It was the colonel, Mr. Woolsey. He saw that I was conscious but let me know not to move, then he yelled at the leader of the attackers and asked where he was gating them. I figured he meant for me to follow and get the address, sir."

Lorne patted her on the shoulder, "You read the colonel very well; that's exactly what he wanted."

The corporal blushed, "I know Colonel Sheppard's pretty crafty, sir. I was afraid I wouldn't get the address; one of the bounty hunters was standing next to the one who was dialing the gate. Fortunately, he shifted position and I caught the sequence. I contacted Atlantis for help, then went back to my team to wait for assistance."

"So, we have a starting point; get your teams ready, major. Kelore should be here in a few minutes, and he's bringing reinforcements. Do you have an issue with having a Latiran team with you?"

Lorne grinned slyly, "Not as long as they know how to take orders, sir."

As Lorne walked away, Woolsey shook his head and whispered, "More like Sheppard every day."  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although there was a moon rising, the thick canopy of trees above him, all but filtered the light from the ground. Sheppard was trying to cover as much ground as he could but the roots and tangled brambles made his traverse almost impossible in the dark. Shot, bruised, cut, and near exhaustion, he was attempting to circle back around to the fortress. However, his sense of direction, which McKay ridiculed whenever possible, wasn't helping him. He was moderately certain that he was near the fortress wall, when he heard the sound of a gun cocking.

"There you are; I didn't think you'd get very far, colonel. At least, not after Ravert shot you." The voice was that of the leader of the bounty hunters who had captured them earlier. "Take him," he ordered, and two men roughly grabbed Sheppard.

He was right; he was close to the fortress, Within five minutes, the bounty hunters pushed him through the large gates and into a large stone building. The room they entered was large, heavy wood beams crisscrossed the ceiling, and at the far end, a stone fireplace covered the entire wall. Standing in front of the glowing fire was a tall woman; her blond hair fell in a long braid, trailing down her back. Sitting in a straight chair near the fire was Shiana, she was gagged, tied to a straight chair. Her face was bruised, her right eye puffy from being beaten.

The bounty hunter spoke, "Mistress, we have brought Colonel Sheppard back."

She turned, "Thank you, Ventur; please place him in the chair opposite our other guest. Bring the transport around, we will be leaving shortly."

The two men who had been manhandling him the entire trek to the fortress, weren't any gentler as the forced him to sit. Grabbing his arms, one man forced his hands behind the chair and bound them tightly. Sheppard tried to stifle a moan but was unable to, as the pain in his shoulder flared, sending a burning sensation across his body. The man binding his legs, made certain that he tied the rope across the worst of the cuts on his lower leg. Sheppard breathed through the pain in an attempt to calm himself.

He glared at the woman, "Sorry, I haven't had the pleasure; just who the hell are you, and where is my team?"

She walked over to him, and laughed, "I have heard that you are quite insolent. You will discover who I am in good time. Let's just say for now, I am your captor. Quite an accomplishment wouldn't you say? Others have tried, but I have succeeded in capturing the infamous Colonel Sheppard."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't get all excited. You're not unique; I've been captured lots of times."

The woman laughed again, "Yes; even the lovely Shiana has managed to capture you, but she allowed you to escape the punishment you deserve. I intend on correcting her error."

"My team, where are they?"

"Don't worry about your team, colonel. I do not plan on killing your friends, although I was tempted to bring that tall one with us. He might prove to be an interesting companion, but from what I have seen so far, he doesn't appear to wish to cooperate."

The doors opened and Ventur, the leader of the bounty hunters, announced, "Madam, the transport is here."

"Untie them from the chairs, but gag them; I don't want to have to listen to them in transit. Load them onto the vehicle, I will be there shortly."

The ropes binding Sheppard and Shiana were undone, and they were hustled out of the fortress and into the transport. A few moments later, the blond woman and the bounty team who captured Sheppard joined them. They traveled to the stargate, where they gated to another location.

The event horizon collapsed only seconds before the gate activated again. Three jumpers exited, quickly rising above the trees.

 _End of Chapter 1_


	2. Hell Hath No Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheppard and Shiana have been caught by a mysterious woman, and Atlantis is racing to find them and Sheppard's team.

**BOUNTY**

 _By stella_pegasi_

 **Chapter Two Hell Hath No Fury**

 

Ronon was struggling against his bindings; his wrists rubbed raw from the rough ropes twisted around them. He grunted deeply, his frustration evident on his battered face.

"You cannot get loose, Ronon. You are only injuring yourself; please stop," Teyla pleaded with him.

"We have to get out of here and find Sheppard. I’m pretty sure he got shot; he's in trouble, and he needs us. McKay, can't you do what you did earlier, and get your ropes loose."

Rodney sounded dejected, exhausted, "They tied them too tight this time; I can't even feel my hands."

Teyla sighed, looking around the small room, illuminated only by moonlight coming through the windows. "I could hear voices earlier, but it is very quiet now. Do you think they left us here?"

"We're dead if they did; Atlantis will never find us."

"I have faith that the colonel will find us, Rodney."

Silence settled over the three teammates, punctuated by an occasional soft groan from Ronon as he continued to strain against his bindings. They waited.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Onboard the jumper, piloted by Evan Lorne, the teams were silent, some checking their weapons or sitting with their eyes closed, but no one was speaking. Captain Isaacs sat in the cockpit, there after winning an argument with Dr. Keller, who wanted his team to remain in the infirmary. His team refused, saying they were responsible for the safety of the colonel's team, and they had failed. They were going on the search and rescue mission.

Sitting behind Lorne was Latiran Captain Langar Herus, accompanied by six of his men, who were scattered between the three jumpers. Herus had reluctantly agreed to follow Lorne's command until Councilwoman Shiana was located, then he and his men would take over her security.

Over the COM, Lieutenant Salem's voice entered the jumper, "Major; we have spotted a town about three clicks to the east."

Lorne responded, "Check it out, Salem and report back as soon as you have any information. Winters, head to the west toward the other settlement Dr. Zelenka located. I'm going to land and investigate the vehicle parked by the gate; Lorne out."

Lorne eased the jumper toward the gate and landed facing the vehicle's cab. "Isaacs, I'm not reading any life signs, take your team, and check it out."

Isaacs' team quickly filed out of the jumper as the ramp descended. After cautiously approaching the vehicle and examining the interior, Isaacs radioed Lorne. "Sir, no sign of anyone around the vehicle, Danzig and Powers are checking out the perimeter. Major, there's blood in the back of this truck, looks like someone was lying on the floor."

Lorne turned to the medic sitting in the jumper, "Pierce, secure a sample of that blood, and get it back to Atlantis. I want to know if one of our people is injured. We're going to join the other jumpers in the search, but dial the gate when you have a report. Isaacs, leave two of your people here to guard the gate and rejoin us on the jumper."

Isaacs replied, "Understood, sir:" followed by the same from Airman Pierce as he exited the jumper. Turning to Herus, Lorne asked, "Okay to assign two of your team to assist in guarding the gate?" Herus nodded and motioned for two of his people to join Isaacs' team.

Once the medic had collected the blood sample and safely gated to Atlantis, Lorne took the jumper into the air, beginning a grid search of the area. They had been flying for about ten minutes when he glanced at Herus. The Latiran captain had said little, and his impassive face gave no indication what he was thinking.

"Captain, have you ever visited this planet?"

The captain took a deep breath before he replied, "No, major; I have not. Most of my time recently has been spent putting out rebellions and chasing thieves preying on people who are simply trying to survive. Before that, we tried to protect our people from the Wraith. You remember them, don't you, Major Lorne?"

Lorne turned to look at Herus whose face was no longer impassive, but scornful. The major did not hesitate, "Yes; I remember them, captain. We lost people to the Wraith as well."

Herus' expression slowly returned to impassivity, and he said, "I guess from this point, it is best we move on; the past is the past."

"Major, Salem here," the lieutenant's voice over the COM prevented Lorne from having to respond to Herus. "Sir, we may have something."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sheppard squirmed upright until his back rested against a rough stone wall in the room he and Shiana currently occupied. The goons, who removed them from the truck, literally threw them into the tiny room. Sheppard had landed on his left shoulder, burning pain coursing through his body. Shiana was unluckier; she hit her head on the corner of a wooden bench and was still unconscious.

Sheppard was happy about one thing; the guards untied them and removed the nasty gags from their mouths. He was having a hard enough time breathing without having a gag obstructing his mouth and nose. He tried to take a few deep breaths in order to get some oxygen into his system, but the pressure in his chest increased as he pulled in air. He quickly decided to take shallower breaths.

He looked over at Shiana, relieved that she was breathing normally, but concerned that she hadn't awakened. Laughing at himself, Sheppard thought that earlier that day he had considered Shiana as the only woman in Pegasus, who truly hated him. Now it appeared there was another. He had no clue who this tall blond woman was, but she did allude to Shiana kidnapping him and his team, then letting them go with disdain. "Crap," he whispered; no doubt, she lost loved ones to the Wraith or the Replicators. It didn't really matter; she must blame him. She was just going to have to get in line; he blamed himself more.

Closing his eyes, he considered trying to sleep; realizing he had lost quite a bit of blood and needed to rest. He grinned grimly, thinking how Carson and Jennifer would react if they heard him admit he needed to rest. That didn't fit his normal persona when he was injured, or the persona, he wanted them to see.

However, sleep was not in his future. The door flew opened, spilling bright light into the small room, and a rough voice spoke, "Get to your feet." Sheppard refused to move, which prompted a hard kick against his right hip. The impact rolled him onto his left side, but he still didn't make an effort to rise. His inaction led to his being struck on the right leg and hip by a leather stave, and pulled from the floor by the two guards who had entered.

"Come on, smart ass, she wants to have a chat with you."

The guards dragged Sheppard down a narrow corridor, filled with debris. Through an open window, he caught a glimpse of buildings, broken and collapsed, covered in scorched marks, as if they bombarded by weapons. He wondered if the Wraith or the Replicators were responsible. Then he realized it didn't matter; he was going to be held accountable.

They opened a door at the end of the hall where the blond woman was waiting. Roughly pushing Sheppard into a chair, they tied him securely, then retreated to stand next to the doorway. The woman slowly approached him.

"Colonel John Sheppard of Atlantis; welcome to my home world, Jutan. You and I have much to talk about." She motioned to a guard to bring her a chair; after sitting down in front of Sheppard, she continued. "You don't know anything about this planet, do you? Or any of the other planets that were destroyed by your meddling."

Sheppard took a deep breath before answering, "Look we came to Pegasus as explorers, we had no idea about the Wraith. We had no intention of creating the problems that happened as a result."

"So, you don't deny that you caused the destruction to the people of Pegasus?"

He dropped his head, "When we arrived, we gated to a planet looking for a safe haven; we thought Atlantis was going to flood. The Wraith attacked while we were on the planet. Some of our people were captured, and we went to rescue them. The Wraith on that Hive woke up while we were there; we didn't know what was going to happen."

She stood up and took a step closer to him, without warning, she hit him in the face with her fist, reopening the cut on his cheek. Blood sprayed away from his face, as he gasped from the jarring the blow caused. He had barely recovered when she hit him again, this time opening a cut above his eye, blood began to stream down into his eye.

She leaned down, "That's just a taste of what you're going to suffer, colonel. You will pay for what you have done."

Struggling to stay conscious, Sheppard managed to croak, "M-my te-am, l-let them…go."

The blond laughed, "Oh, how heartwarming; you are worried about your teammates. I told you, I have no interest in them." Laughing a bit harder, "However, I'm not sure when they will be found. No one knows where I had you taken, and now your team is all alone in a small room, tied up. It will be a shame if they die of thirst before anyone finds them."

Tying to look as if he had some modicum of control, Sheppard asked, "Who are you and what happened here?"

She sat down across from him once more, absently rubbing her right hand, reddened and beginning to bruise from striking him. "Not that it really matters, colonel, but I will tell you who I am. I am Livica Ponaes, and this was my home; a home destroyed by the Wraith, then devastated by the Replicators. You see, colonel, in the midst of a planet-wide culling by the Wraith the Replicators arrived. The battle was epic. We were a planet that had managed to stay hidden for several cycles from the Wraith. They culled predominantly in the center of the galaxy, not along the far edges where Jutan is located. When their food source began to become scarce, another event you were responsible for, they began to search the outer rim. The Replicators followed them, both arriving here within hours of each other.

Livica stood up, "My husband was a government leader; he was privy to the situation with the Wraith, from communicating with other planets. But we were foolish to believe that we would remain untouched by the events raging in the center of the galaxy." She walked over to the small window, "My parents ran a successful manufacturing business. We are in what is left of their facility. My father tried to protect his employees from the Wraith, but only a handful survived. One employee, who hid within the machinery, told me my father was fed upon by a male Wraith, as he tried to protect three of his youngest employees. He died, and the three employees were taken away by drones."

She was quiet for a moment, then spun to look at him, "I taught Jutan history at the Academa, and was teaching when these events began. My mother was watching my children, Vicio and Marira, who were already home from school. She managed to get the children to the Academa. We fled toward the government center, where I found my husband, injured by a Replicator attack on the center, but alive. We decided to flee to the Ancestor's Ring and escape. My mother refused to go without my father, and she left us, running toward this building. That is the last I ever saw of my mother."

She returned to the chair across from Sheppard, "I managed to support my husband, and we fled the government center. Vicio, who was twelve, carried his sister. We were steps from the Ancestor's Ring, when a large Wraith ship appeared. Vicio was lagging behind; my husband pushed away from me, yelling for me to save the children. I was so close to my son when a blast from the ship stuck the road leading from the city to the Ring, killing many who were still on the road. The concussion knocked me to the ground. As I struggled to get up, another ship arrived. I know now that it was a Replicator ship; it began to fire on the Wraith ship. I thought this was our chance to escape, when several smaller ships with pointed noses, crossed the sky above us and my children and my husband were caught in the beams that skimmed the ground. I would have been taken as well, but a co-worker of my husband's, grabbed my arm, dragging me through the Ring."

Livica's voice was shaking but there were no tears as she continued, "I survived, along with several hundred of my fellow Jutans. Fortunately, somehow, the Ring was not damaged in the attack. Slowly over the last many months, we have been able to rescue and relocate those who survived but lived so far from the Ring." She glared at Sheppard for a moment, before she continued.

"The survivors are safe; it is time for revenge for the loss of so many innocents." She stood up once more and approached him, "You are a pariah, Colonel John Sheppard. You brought this devastation on my people and this galaxy, and you will pay."

She inspected her bruised hand, flexing it once more into a fist. Before Sheppard could say anything in response to her words, she struck him again, this blow knocking him unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorne had ordered the other jumpers into stealth mode, and they made their way to the location that Captain Stackhouse's team, who were riding on Salem's jumper, had uncovered. Corporal Brenner spoke to a local constable who told him, when asked about anything unusual in the area, that there was some activity at a large compound about five clicks from the stargate. Someone had recently bought it, and there were reports of many men living there; some of the locals were concerned they were some kind of criminal group. The local security police had been observing the compound, but so far had seen nothing to warrant investigating further.

Before they joined the other jumpers, Lorne detoured back to the stargate after Airman Pierce radioed that he had the results of the blood test. When they arrived at the gate, they found Dr. Beckett and another medic waiting, along with Pierce.

Beckett walked directly to Lorne, who just shook his head, "My hunch was correct, doc?"

"Aye, laddie, the blood is Colonel Sheppard's. You really didn't expect any different result did you?" When Lorne simply shook his head, Beckett continued, "From the amount of blood Pierce reported was in that truck, I suspect the colonel is badly injured. You're going to need me, major."

Lorne sighed, "That's the problem, doc; we always need you." Beckett patted the major on the shoulder, then sat in the seat behind Lorne that Captain Isaacs' vacated. Lorne lifted off, heading toward the other jumpers waiting near the compound. When they arrived, Lieutenant Salem reported.

"Major Lorne, the HUD is showing seven life signs in the compound. Two are in the courtyard, walking the perimeter, two are inside in a large room, and three are close together in one room on the west side of the main building. There are no life signs in the smaller two buildings. Sir, there is a main gate, and a smaller gate on the east rear corner. The main building is where all the life signs are located; there are three entrances to that building. No life signs in the two outer buildings."

"Okay, Winters, put down on the east of the building; deploy teams and get ready to make entry through the back gate. Salem, land in the front on the east side, I'll take the west. I want people deployed around the wall; no one gets out of here, understand?"

Within ten minutes, the Atlantis and Latiran solders were in place, and on Lorne's orders, they stormed the building. The four bounty hunters remaining in the compound were surprised by the assault, but attempted to fight back. The Marine's quickly overpowered them. The four men were brought together in the courtyard, while Lorne and Herus, along with Captain Isaacs and other team members, headed for the room where the other three life signs were located.

Sergeant Johnston, the six-foot-five, two hundred and seventy-five pound Marine on Lorne's team, make quick work of knocking down the door. Rushing inside, Lorne and Herus found Sheppard's team. They untied the three quickly, Lorne calling for Beckett when he spotted Ronon's bloody wrists and bruised face.

McKay sputtered, "Sheppard, where's Sheppard?"

Lorne helped the scientist stand, as he asked, "We don't know; we were hoping you did."

"No, he escaped; he's in the woods somewhere."

"Are you sure?"

Rodney became indignant and frantic at the same time, "Of course, I'm sure, what the hell do you think?"

"Rodney, please calm down," Teyla whispered raspy, her throat extremely dry.

"Do you have any idea of which way the colonel went when he ran into the woods?"

Ronon answered, "He ran toward the trees on the left; but I doubt he got far. I'm pretty certain he got shot."

Beckett walked in as Ronon uttered the word shot, "Oh, you're talking about the colonel, aren't you?" He immediately began to inspect the damage Ronon had done to his wrists.

Ronon said, "Yeah."

"Well, that would explain how much blood we found in the truck." Beckett observed.

Rodney was almost out the door when he heard Beckett's comment, "Blood, you found blood where?"

Lorne answered, "There a vehicle, like a box truck, parked next to the gate; there was quite a bit of blood in it. Dr. Beckett tested the blood; it's the colonel's blood type."

Rodney sank back down on one of the chairs, "We came here in a truck like that, but Sheppard wasn't hurt then."

Teyla asked, "Major Lorne; Colonel Sheppard overheard some of the bounty hunters say that _she_ was here. He suspected it was Shiana; did you find her?"

"No, only four men were here besides you three."

Ronon growled, "Four….there were at least twenty or more men here; we were ambushed by twelve or more."

Lorne looked at Herus, and Rodney noticed the Latiran for the first time, "Who the hell is he?"

"This is Captain Langar Herus of Latira; he's here because Councilwoman Shiana has also been kidnapped. The Pegasus Coalition requested that a team from Latira join us in the search."

Herus spoke, "It would appear to me that Shiana and the colonel have been moved from this location, most likely taken off the planet, but where?"

"Well, our best bet is to find out are the four prisoners we have."

"Let me talk to them; I'll find out where they took Sheppard," Ronon rose, while Beckett was still wrapping one of his wrists.

"Sit; I am not done with you yet." Ronon glared at Beckett, but sat back down, as Beckett finished taping the bandage on his left wrist.

Lorne rubbed his forehead, a look of frustration on his face, "My gut tells me that the colonel, and likely Shiana, are not on this planet. I'm going to leave a jumper with a couple of teams here to search the woods around the compound, while we take the prisoners back to Atlantis. Herus, I'd like for some of your men to search this compound to see if they can learn anything." Herus agreed, and Lorne asked Beckett, "You done, doc?"

Beckett nodded, "For now, until I get them to Atlantis to be checked out."

"Okay then, let's go home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room was dark when Sheppard woke, which considering how badly his head hurt, he was thankful for the darkness. He was lying on the stone floor, on his left shoulder. As he became fully conscious, he felt the burning pain radiating down his left side. Cautiously, he rolled onto his back, trying to breathe through the pain.

A soft, weak voice spoke, "Colonel, are you awake?"

"Shiana, that you? Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, it is me, colonel and no, I-I am not…okay." Her voice was shaky as she continued, "After they returned you to the c-cell, they took me to Livica. She apparently blames me for not having you killed w-when I had you brought before the Coalition tribunal."

Sheppard chuckled, despite the pain it caused, "Day's not over, finish me off, and she might let you leave."

Shiana scoffed, "Do not t-think, that thought has not crossed my mind."

"Yeah, well, I was afraid of that."

A note of fear crept into Shiana voice, "Did she tell you what she planned to do to us?"

"No, but I don’t' think she plans on us leaving here alive. Look, her anger is with me; maybe I can convince her to let you leave."

"Y-you would do that for me, colonel?"

"Yeah, I would. How long have I been unconscious?"

"I’m not certain; I was taken as soon as they brought you, it was still daylight. It was dark when I was brought back and thrown in here. I must have passed out; I only woke up shortly before you."

"Shiana, try to get some sleep; I think we are going to need all the strength we can muster."

"Sage advice, colonel; you surprise me."

"Yeah, that's me, full of surprises."

As Shiana became quiet, Sheppard slowly rolled onto his right side, and curled into a fetal position, trying to stay warm. They were in more trouble than he had admitted to Shiana. He was sick. He was shivering and burning up at the same time, feeling weaker by the minute. He drifted to sleep, wondering what Livica planned next.

Sheppard was unsure how long he had slept when the guards abruptly threw opened the heavy door, awakening them. It was still dark, only the dim illumination from a flashlight that the guards carried lighted the room.

"Get up, now," the guards yelled. Shiana rose gingerly from the floor, but Sheppard struggled. The guards were becoming impatient, and one lashed out to kick Sheppard, but missed as the colonel rolled away in time. Shiana rushed to Sheppard and helped him up.

"He is injured, how can you be so cruel?"

The guard sneered, "We're being paid to be cruel; now move." He drew back a leather stave and hit Shiana's hip sharply with it, saying, "If you don't move faster, you're going to be injured as well." He struck her once more. Shiana glared at him but accepted as much of Sheppard's weight as she could to keep him stable. The guards led them to the room where they had both met Livica; she was waiting for them.

"Oh, did you have a nice nap? It will most likely be your last; the game begins. I want you both to feel what it felt like to be hunted, and to lose everything. Unfortunately, Shiana, you've already lost your family; so I couldn't bait you with them. I want you to suffer, but I don't care if you die quickly or slowly. The colonel is another story; I want him to die a very painful death."

"What good is this?" Shiana said, "Killing us cannot bring your family or mine back. Revenge does not always provide the pleasure you want, once you have achieved it, Livica. You will not get away with this; the Coalition will hunt you down."

Livica laughed, then backhanded Shiana, opening her already cut-lip once again. "You don't get it; I don't care what happens to me now. I waited until the people of my planet had created another life for themselves, but I don't want another life. I want the one I had. However, that isn't possible; Sheppard made certain of that, and you didn't hold him accountable, so you both die."

Sheppard was dizzy, sweat dripping down his forehead; he struggled to talk, "Let Shiana go, your q-quarrel is with me. She tried to punish us; you can't blame her for what happened, blame me."

"Your gallantry will not sway me, colonel; don't waste your breath. Now, allow me explain the game we will play. It will be dark for two more hours. I am turning you loose in the city and when day breaks, the bounty hunters will come for you. Let's see how far you can run in two hours. The hunters won't kill you when they find you; they will bring you back to me. I will have the pleasure of watching the life leave you as I take it.

She turned to the guards, "Take them to entrance of the building and let them go."

The guards grabbed Shiana and Sheppard, roughly pushing them through the door. Before Shiana left the room, Livica taunted her. "Shiana, I will give you an option; when they find you, providing they haven't found Sheppard already, I will allow you to live, if you turn Sheppard over to the hunters. That's the only chance you will have to survive."

Reaching the front entrance of the factory, the guards opened the large doors and roughly pushed them through into the night, closing the doors behind them. Both Sheppard and Shiana fell onto the rough, debris-covered street. Shiana managed to get to her feet first; she grabbed Sheppard's right arm and slung it around her neck, using all her strength to help him to his feet.

"Come on, colonel; you are a stubborn man, don't quit on me now. We need to get away."

She felt him take some of his weight back, leaning on her less than he had, as he said, "Bossy, aren't you? Well, that's okay by me; lead the way."

 _End of Chapter 2_


	3. The Hunted

**BOUNTY**

 _By stella_pegasi_

 **Chapter Three The Hunted**

Richard Woolsey was pacing the length of the observation room that overlooked the detention area, where the interrogation of the four men taken from the fortress was underway. The jumpers had returned less than an hour before, and Lorne wasted no time before beginning to question them.

"You are going to wear a path in floor, Richard." Kelore, Coalition council member from Latira was leaning against the railing along the glass wall.

Woolsey sighed and walked over to stand next to the Latiran. "I will admit to being worried. Beckett is quite concerned that Colonel Sheppard is badly injured; there was a lot of blood in that truck. If Sheppard is injured, then possibly, he cannot protect Shiana. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe she is trained to handle a situation like this."

Kelore grimaced, "No; she is not. If it was a battle of sharp wits, these kidnappers wanted, I wouldn't be worried. However, as for her defending herself; I, too, am concerned."

They were silent a moment as they watched Lorne, Sergeant Johnston, and Sergeant Mehra questioned one of the guards. Mehra had been standing against a wall, as Lorne repeatedly asked who was running the operation. A subtle movement of Lorne's head and in seconds, Mehra was behind the guard, her forearm around his neck, her free hand pinning his torso against the chair. Sergeant Johnston, the mountain of Marine and easily the most intimidating thing in the room, didn't move a muscle. He simply stood ramrod straight next to Lorne.

Kelore chuckled, "I realized that this is not an amusing situation, but I have to say, if I were that young man, I would be more frightened of the female soldier than the males. She is quite formidable."

"You do not even know, Kelore. Sergeant Mehra is Marine Special Ops, and even Colonel Sheppard finds her a bit intimidating. However, he manages to keep her in line; I actually think she is a more than a bit intimidated by him. I suspect that if we left her in a room unattended with these guards, we would have the information we need rather quickly."

"Then, why don't you let her do just that?"

Woolsey's head jerked around to look at Kelore, "This from a man who accused Atlantis of acting before we considered the consequences?"

Kelore's left eyebrow raised and his head tilted, "Well, Richard, there are times."

Ten minutes later, Lorne joined them in the observation room. "Mr. Woolsey, we have a bit of information. We know that Colonel Sheppard and Council member Shiana were taken off-world, and one of the prisoners confirmed that the colonel is injured; how badly, he didn't know."

Kelore asked, "Any indication of who is behind this?"

"One of them said that 'she' organized the entire plan, but that he didn't know her name; he said they only knew her as 'madam'. We haven't been able to get anything out of the others yet."

"Then, we're nowhere," Woolsey remarked, a dejected note in his voice. "Major, I don't have to tell you, not only is the fact that Colonel Sheppard is missing a serious situation, but a member of the Pegasus Coalition Council is also missing. We need to find them."

Lorne replied, hesitantly, "About that, Mr. Woolsey; I realize that Colonel Sheppard fully believes in applying the Geneva Convention in Pegasus. However, you and I both know that he colonel is also a practical man. He does what has to be done. Ronon has offered his services and I believe, if we allowed Sergeant Mehra to speak privately with the youngest of the guards, we'll gain the intel we need. He's pretty scared of her."

Woolsey glanced at Kelore, who grinned ever so slightly, then answered Lorne, "Major; I trust your judgment. Proceed as you see fit." Lorne spun around to leave, stopping as Woolsey added, "I'm not certain if I should request that you remind Ronon or Mehra not to injure anyone. Perhaps you should remind them both."

Lorne attempted, with little success, to stifle a grin, "Yes, sir."

Woolsey watched the major leave, commenting as he left, "Yes, Kelore; there are times."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiana had lost count of how many times they had stumbled and fallen over debris. Light was almost non-existent; a small distant moon provided only the dimmest illumination. She was aware that they needed to keep moving, but Sheppard was ill; she kept coaxing him along.

They had been moving for nearly twenty minutes she estimated, and if she needed a rest, she was certain that Sheppard did. She halted, finding herself needed to support him to keep him on his feet.

"Colonel, you need to rest, there is a doorway; let us go inside there for a bit."

Sheppard didn't argue, and she steered him toward the door. They both stumbled over a piece of broken furniture that was lying across the opening, but managed to get inside. She held him steady as he slid to the floor, lying on his right side.

"Colonel, do you have any water?"

"C-Canteen, pocket of…vest," he replied, his voice weak.

She slid her fingers along the pockets until she felt what she thought was a water bottle. Pulling it out, she unscrewed the cap, and supported Sheppard's head as he took a sip.

"Colonel, you are burning up; I suspect you must have an infection. Do you have any medications with you."

"N-no…just some Advil…right side pocket."

"Advil?"

"Pain meds."

She rummaged again, finding the pill packet. She ripped the package open, giving Sheppard the two pills with another sip of water.

He struggled to talk, "Listen, leave me here; you can move much q-quicker with…out me. At-lantis will come, find you; you just need to stay hidden."

Shiana closed her eyes, "I am not leaving you behind, colonel. Isn't that what you have always said, you don't leave people behind? That's what you told us when you explained why you woke up the Wraith."

"Yeah…that's…yeah, leave no one behind…but you should go…g-get away."

"So the rule applies unless it is you to be left behind, colonel?"

Sheppard sighed, "Yeah…that's it."

Shiana replied, "Well, sick or not; I think my chances are better with you than without you. We have only been traveling for about thirty minutes, Livica said it was two hours until sunrise. We have some time to get further away."

His voice almost in a whisper, Sheppard said, "No…I believe she will think we'll get as far…away as we can. I also don't trust that she'll…give us t-that much…time. What we need to do is locate somewhere…defensible and find some weapons; you up to doing a little sco-scouting around?"

"Yes, what should I look for?"

"Find a place with a couple of ways out, d-don't want to get trapped, better somewhere with a front…and back staircase, where we have a vantage point. Look for anything…we can use as weapons. Bounty hunters are smart, military training…might think like me. The best thing is to find an unlikely place to hide, closer…than they think we'll hide."

"I understand; you rest; I'll look around for fifteen minutes, then return." Before she left, she gave him another sip of water. Scouting around the room, she found a strong wooden pole that had been broken into a short piece.

"Colonel, here is a short, sturdy stick, it has a pointed end; might be useful as a weapon." She pressed the pole into his hand. "Slide over a bit; you will be out of what little light there is. I will be back as quickly as I can." Without another word, Shiana slipped out into the street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woolsey and Kelore had gone to the director's office to wait for word from Lorne. They were on their second cup of coffee when Lorne rushed into the room.

"Major, do you have some information?"

"Yes, sir; we still don't have a name. I don't think any of these guys ever knew her name, but we do have something. The young guy, Raeder, Mehra questioned was in a refugee camp for a while, after the Replicators attacked his planet. He said he recognized this 'madam' as a woman who was searching all the camps for people from her planet. He said someone referred to her as a refugee coordinator; she was trying to find a planet where all of her people could relocate. He never saw her again until she showed up at the compound. Raeder joined the bounty hunters several months ago, and had been at the compound for a week. The one thing we do know is that her planet was attacked by the Wraith and the Replicators at the same time."

Woolsey asked, "Do you think that this woman has taken them to her home world to extract revenge on them?"

Lorne nodded, "Yes, sir; I believe she may have, but where? I understand that she may want revenge on Colonel Sheppard, but why would she take Shiana?"

Kelore spoke, "Shiana attempted to exert revenge on Atlantis but her efforts failed, major. This woman may feel Shiana failed her as well. Let me return to Latira City; after we formed the Coalition, we kept a registry of the people who were looking for others from their planets. After the fall of the Wraith, the process became quite organized. Perhaps I can find out who she is, and where her planet is located." He left Woolsey's office with his aide and Captain Herus; within seconds, the stargate activated.

As the Latirans departed for Latira, Rodney and Teyla, joined the group in Woolsey' office. Woolsey caught them up on the developments.

Rodney asked, "Why would this woman want Sheppard and Shiana? I mean; they can't stand each other, why would she kidnap them?"

Teyla answered, "Rodney; I believe that this woman may have a grudge against the colonel and the Coalition. Perhaps, she blames John for what happened to her planet and Shiana for not exacting revenge on Atlantis."

"Lorne, do you think you can learn any further information from these prisoners?"

"Don't know, sir; we'll try." Lorne departed, with Ronon on his heels, leaving Woolsey, Rodney, and Teyla sitting in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sheppard was instantly alert at the slight scraping sound nearby, gripping the pole Shiana left tightly. His heart was pounding and he was burning up, but he was ready to defend himself, if he needed to do so.

"Colonel, it's me."

He relaxed slightly, whispering, "Shiana."

"Yes; I think I may have found a place that will work. It is not far, can you walk?"

"Yeah, just want to sit up for a moment." Using his right arm, Sheppard pushed himself into a sitting position, "Did…you see anyone?"

"No, it is very quiet; if they are watching us, I couldn't tell."

"Doubt…they a-are; more…sporting, this way. What did you find?" Sheppard was shivering, his teeth chattering.

I found a store; there is a lot of construction equipment inside. You told me to look for things that we could use as weapons. This shop is full of things that I think will work. Can you walk, colonel?"

"Yeah, no problem," he pushed away from the floor, but was too weak and fell back. "O-kay, problem…just…give me a second."

Shiana kneeled next to him and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. "We need to move now, colonel. I imagine we have some tasks to accomplish once we get there. I will support you." Struggling, she managed to get the considerably heavier colonel on his feet. Once stable, she carefully led him over the debris and into the street.

The building they were heading was around the corner from their original hideout, and across another debris-strewn street. Sheppard fell twice, but Shiana forced him to stand up. After the second fall, she winced in pain as she felt the muscles in her back pull sharply as she helped him up. Ignoring the pain, she pushed him forward toward their next hiding place. They had walked for a while when Shiana stopped, causing Sheppard to stumble. He fell against a building wall, preventing himself from falling.

"Colonel, I am so sorry. I stopped because I wasn't certain if I was taking us in the right direction.

"Okay…it's hard to see…are we headed the right way?"

"Yes, I believe I see the doorway just ahead, come on." Shiana took his arm, and they continued to walk. Within a few moments, she stopped in front of a glass door, which was miraculously intact.

She gently pressed Sheppard against the wall of the building. "Stay here, colonel; let me open the door. I have to clear some boards away; I didn't want it to look like anyone had been in here."

Shiana moved some boards and a piece of concrete, and pushed open the door. She reached for Sheppard, and led him inside.

Through the dim light spilling from a huge window across the storefront, Sheppard noted a wooded counter along the back wall, running nearly the width of the large store. He could barely make out a stairway at the far back of the store, and a doorway leading toward what he supposed was a storeroom. As he got his bearings, he realized his heart was beating rapidly. He just wasn't certain if it was from the infection or from the fact that there were hammers, axes, shovels, screwdrivers, all kinds of things that they could use to defend themselves. The only problem that he foresaw was the fact there was nothing to stop bullets. He called to Shiana.

"You did good, there are things…we can use as weapons here." He turned to slip behind the counter and became dizzy, nearly falling.

"Colonel, let's get you to the back of the store. There are tarps back there; you need to lie down."

"No, need to get ready," he gripped the counter to stay upright.

"No, you need to lie down; I will bring you what you need." Shiana pulled him away from the counter, toward the back of the store.

A cupboard stood against the back wall under the staircase, its cubbyholes full of canvas-like tarps. Shiana pulled a few out of the bins, throwing them onto the floor. She then helped him sit down, pulling one of the tarps over him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she tucked the tarp around him.

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you helping me? I don't think…you like me very much, so why?"

Shiana sighed, "Every time I look at you, colonel, I see the faces of my husband and children as they died. I have good reason not to 'like you very much.' However, I believe in justice, even though I desire revenge. I had you brought before the Coalition tribunal so that you would be punished by the Coalition after a fair trial. You won, colonel, a fact that was difficult for me to comprehend. You caused the death of my family, yet you walk free."

She reached into the pocket of his vest holding the water bottle, and offered him a sip; then took a small sip herself and continued. "I am a pragmatic person; I cannot change past events. I had to make a decision to go forward and try to make this galaxy a better place for those who are left."

"Noble words, Shiana."

"Not so noble; don't think for a moment that I still do not desire to kill you myself. However, at this moment, you are my best choice for getting out of here. I will resume plotting how to kill you once we are safe, colonel."

In the pale light, Sheppard believed he saw a slight smile on her face. He replied, "Nice to know I have something to look forward to once we get out of here."

She didn't respond to his comment, just returned to the matter at hand, "What should we do first?"

Sheppard reeled off a list of things he had spotted for her to bring to him. They were going to need everything they could to fend off the bounty hunters. At least, until Atlantis found them, and Sheppard had faith that Atlantis would find them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Livica Ponaes stood quietly behind her father's desk, not noticing Ventur enter the office. He cleared his throat, which brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Madam, you asked to be notified when an hour had passed. Do you have other orders?"

She absently ran her fingers along a battered, dusty ledger lying on her father's desk, "No; I promised them two hours. I will give them that. They will believe that they have time to hide somewhere that you cannot find them. I want them to have that false hope."

Ventur nodded, "Do not worry, madam; we will find them."

She glared at Ventur, "You best do just that. I hired the lot of you because you are the best trackers in the galaxy. If you fail me, it will be the last regret you ever have.

Ventur bowed slightly, "We will not fail you."

As he left the room, Livica whispered, "My loves, my family, you will soon be revenged."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiana had gathered several of the things that Sheppard wanted, and as he was sorting through the items, she returned to her search. Sheppard was whacking off the end of a broom handle to make a lance when she returned. He was breathing shallowly, his hand holding the large knife shaking.

Fearful that he would cut off his arm, she reached out to steady his left hand, only to find his left forearm covered in a warm, sticky substance, blood.

"Colonel, you are bleeding."

He was slow to respond, "Wha…oh," he dropped the knife as he reached with his right hand to touch his bloody arm, "yeah, I guess I am; shot…in the shoulder."

Dropping her head, she took a deep breath before responding, "You've been shot? When did this happen?"

"Got away after hunters…brought us to compound. G-Got shot then."

Shiana began to unzip Sheppard's TAC vest, but he swatted her hand away. She grabbed the edge of his vest. "Stop fighting me, I need to stop the bleeding, or you are no good to me, colonel. Now let me get this vest off."

Sheppard sat quietly, moving when she needed him to until she had his vest and BDU shirt off. She then took the large knife and sliced through the black t-shirt, pulling it away from his body. The metal slug had torn through his shoulder. The entrance wound on his back was ragged, crusted with dried blood, only a small amount of blood oozing from the wound. The exit wound, just below his collarbone was bleeding profusely. She reached for the remnant of his t-shirt, holding it against the wound.

He laid his head against the cubbyholes behind him, a low, deep groan escaping his lips. He visibly steeled himself to speak, "Might be…b-bandage in vest." She rummaged through the pockets, finding another bandage.

"P-pressure bandage…put it…"

"I understand, stop talking, colonel, save your strength. I will take care of this."

She cut his t-shirt up, folding a section into a pad of cloth, then placed the prepared bandage over the exit wound, then wrapped the long ends of the bandage under his arm. She held the folded t-shirt fabric over the entrance wound, then wrapped the bandages ends around a couple of times as snuggly as she felt she could and tying the ends.

"Is that too tight?" she asked in response to his flinching as she tightened the knot securing the bandage.

Sheppard shook his head, "No, just right…"

She felt his chest, "Colonel you are burning up; I do not know what else to do for you."

"It's 'kay, thanks…help me get my shirt on."

Shiana helped him back into his shirt and vest, then gave him another drink of water. He sighed deeply, "Got to get this finished. Had enough rope to put that one knife in a groove I cut in one broom handle. Uh…" he took another breath, "need to finish sharpening this one…we have sledge hammers and axes, a few hammers and some s-screwdrivers. Tuck the screwdrivers in your clothing. If they get too close…use them like knives."

She held out four hunting knives, "I found these, and these." In her hands were several small metal spikes made of some type of lightweight but strong metal, with small flanges on one end. Sheppard took one of the spikes from her, examining it closely.

"Did you see any thin but strong pieces of wood and some sort of flexible cord or string…something with some give to it?

"Not sure about the cord but there are packets of wooden pencils."

"Go get those, and some pliable wire…and see if you can find some cord or something."

While she was hunting for the items, he requested, Sheppard finished hacking a sharp point onto the second broomstick. She returned with several packets of pencils and wire, then returned to search for cord. After she left, Sheppard glanced at his watch, time was running out; it would be daylight soon. He only hoped he could last that long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan Lorne walked into the ready room to find several of Atlantis' younger military personnel waiting impatiently; their restlessness clearly reciprocal to their frustration level. Almost to a soldier and airman, they jumped to their feet as Lorne arrived. Certainly, in deference to the major's rank, but also, in the hope he had some come with news.

"At ease," Lorne told them, adding, "You realized that you can stand down anywhere, you don't have to wait here."

Corporal Rodriguez answered for them all, "We'd rather wait here, sir; closer to the gate. Is there any news, major?"

"I hear you, corporal. Nothing to report at the moment; I just wanted to tell you to stand ready, we are hoping to have a location from Kelore soon. I know you're anxious to go look for the colonel, but right now, we don't have any other information than what you have already been told."

Lorne left the ready room, heading for the control room, where he found Richard Woolsey, McKay, and Carson Beckett leaning on the railing over the gate room. He joined them, "No word yet, sir?

Woolsey shook his head indicating no, causing Beckett to slam his hand down on the railing. "Bugger, the colonel is injured; we have to find him."

Lorne replied, "We will, doc; I can tell you if we don't hear from Kelore soon, I think the Marines are going to take matters into their own hands and start dialing the gate at random. They're getting pretty anxious down there."

"They aren't the only ones, major." McKay uttered.

Richard Woolsey gripped the banister, "If we don't hear anything in the next fifteen minutes, we're dialing Latira for some answers."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What are you doing, colonel?"

Sheppard looked up at Shiana, a slight chuckle escaping his throat, "I'm…uh…attempting to make a crossbow." When he saw the incredulous look on her face, "A buddy of mine, Digger,…taught me how to make a mini-crossbow, not sure I rem…ember everything. D-did you find some cord?"

She held out her hand, "I don't know if this will work, but it is all that I can find." She was holding a spool of white cording, which looked liked elastic, "It's quite stretchy."

He took the spool and pulled on the cording, "Not bad, Shiana; think this will work."

They sat in silence for a few moments, as Sheppard wound wire around pencils and formed the shape of a crossbow. Once he was ready for the cord, Shiana cut off a piece and helped him stretch it across the bow. When he was satisfied that it was ready, he reached for one of the metal spikes. Positioning the spike on bow, he aimed the small bow toward a sack, about three feet away that appeared to be filled with something soft, and fired. The metal spike flew away from the bow and impaled the sack.

"It works!" Shiana kept her voice down, but her enthusiasm was evident.

Sheppard shifted his position, sitting up a bit straighter, wincing as he put pressure on his left shoulder. "Remind…me to send Digger a box of cigars. This is will only work…if the hunters are close…not a lot of power."

"What else do we need to do?"

"Did you stash all that stuff…where I told…you?" Shiana answered yes, and he continued, "Then nothing…I want you to stay out of sight. Let them think we split up. You need…to stay alive, uh…until Atlantis comes."

"No, I am not allowing you to die for me."

"Watch out…you're beginning to sound like you don't…hate me anymore."

"Keep dreaming, colonel. I told you, you're my best protection, but I will not allow you to defend me. I will defend myself."

"Shiana…"

"It is settled, colonel."

With that cryptic statement, Shiana rose and headed toward the front of the store. As she walked away, the word enigma floated through his mind concerning her. She had been unswerving in her disdain for him, since they had first met. That first meeting was when she had him, and his team captured and put on trial for crimes against the people of Pegasus. The ensuing months had brought them together on a few occasions, and she made it perfectly clear that she still held him responsible for everything that had gone wrong in Pegasus; he suspected since the dawn of time.

Resting his head against the cabinet, he wondered if the last few hours had changed her. She had been attentive to his injuries and more than cooperative in helping him plan for their defense. He knew that she still had the option that Livica offered her, she could turn him over to the hunters in exchange for her own life. Time would tell which Shiana he would be dealing with when the bounty hunters arrived.

The one thing Sheppard did know was that he was hanging on by a thread. He was dizzy, burning up, in enormous pain, and concentrating was becoming increasingly difficult. Part of him was hoping that if the bounty hunters were going to find them, that they'd do it quickly. He didn't know how much time he had.

Shiana's return startled him, and he raised his hand; knife clenched in his palm. She grabbed his arm, pushing the knife away. "Colonel, daylight is breaking; we must get ready."

 

 _End of Chapter 3_


	4. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atantis mounts a rescue effort, will they be in time?

**BOUNTY**

 _By stella_pegasi_

 **Chapter Four The Hunt**

Livica exited the factory as the sun rose indicating dawn was breaking. She stood quietly as the sky transformed from inky black to gray, then pale rosy-pink. As the first rays of the system's sun glinted above the horizon, she turned to her assembled team of bounty hunters.

"It is time. I caution you to remember that Colonel Sheppard is cunning. I have studied his behavior; you will do well not to underestimate him. I want them to fear you; I want you to find them, but do not kill them. That pleasure will be mine, and mine alone."

Ventur took a cautious step forward, "Madam; you offered amnesty to the woman. Do we honor that offer?"

Livica whispered, "No."   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teyla was nearly at her wits end. She had been attempting to keep Rodney calm, but the scientist was not cooperating. He would pace, then he would sit, then pace again.

"We can't just sit here; we have to start looking somewhere."

"Rodney, please sit down; you are distracting everyone who is trying to work."

"Teyla, he's hurt; we have to find him."

"I know, and we will, but we must have an idea where to look or we will be wasting time."

"We're wasting time now. It's been nearly an hour since Kelore contacted us."

"He contacted us to tell us that they might have a lead as to who this woman is that may have the colonel. Rodney, Kelore will contact us as soon as he knows."

Rodney leaned on the banister, looking over into the gate room. Lorne had finally given up keeping everyone in the ready room. The ground rescue teams were assembled in gate room, and three jumpers were standing by in the jumper bay. Lorne and Ronon were talking to a team of technicians, who were milling around a small winged-drone that Area 51 had designed for both land gates and space gates.

Woolsey emerged from his office to join them, as Lorne and Ronon bounded up the stairs, "Major, everyone ready?"

"Yes, sir; we just need somewhere to go."

"I'm certain Kelore will find something," Woolsey said, although it appeared from his tone, he was attempting to convince himself.

McKay snapped, "Well, it better be soo…" The sound of the gate engaging stopped McKay in mid-sentence.

Everyone froze as the event horizon stabilized, waiting to hear Sergeant Chuck Campbell announce who was dialing in. As soon as they heard the golden words, 'It's Kelore,' a collective sigh filled the room. At least, the wait for where to begin might be over, but the rescue was just beginning.

Kelore and Herus rushed up the gate room stairs toward an anxious group of Atlantians, "I believe we know who has taken them, Richard." He pulled a data pod from his jacket. "This has everything that we know about a woman named Livica Ponaes from a planet called Jutan. A planet attacked by the Wraith and Replicators simultaneously. We spoke to several Jutan survivors, who told us that Ponaes was a teacher at their Academia; her husband was a government official. They had two children and were attempting to get through the Ancestors Ring when a Replicator weapon struck nearby, killing her husband and children. She was pulled through the ring by a fleeing Jutan."

"Her story is as Shiana's, her family taken from her, just as they were about to escape," Teyla uttered sorrowfully.

Kelore replied, "Not an unusual story for any of us, but it explains why she might be the one who has taken the two people in question. She probably took her cue from Shiana's efforts to extract her view of justice on Colonel Sheppard and Atlantis."

"It was your version of justice, too."

Kelore turned toward the low, threatening voice, "Ronon; I do not deny that we were all caught up in Shiana's vengeance. Thanks to Richard, reason prevailed."

Woolsey intervened, "What else do you know about this woman?"

"Once the Coalition became established, a bureau to search for missing survivors from planets known to have been fully culled or attacked by the Replicators was formed. Ponaes registered as a survivor consultant, finding refugees and helping to locate a planet where her fellow Jutans could immigrate."

Herus added, "I took a team to Etavia, a planet where several small groups of survivors have banded together to start over; it's where the Jutans relocated. I spoke to the leader of the Jutans, and she said that the last time they saw Ponaes was about three months ago. She said the visit was unusual, that Ponaes didn't interact with them but spent her time with a few men who had gated to the planet after her. From the description, they sound a lot like the men Captain Isaacs' team described."  
Kelore added, "They also match a description of a group of mercenaries for hire whom we've been getting reports about. The good thing is that apparently the stargate on Jutan escape destruction by the Replicators. Ponaes returned there several times with rescuers and brought back people from areas of the planet great distances from the gate."

Lorne quickly asked, "You got a gate address, sir?"

"Yes, I do."

Rodney looked up from a computer terminal, "I've found a reference to Jutan in the Ancient database. It's a planet on the outer rim of the galaxy; not a lot of information past that."

Lorne looked over at Woolsey, "Sir, do we have a go?"

"Yes, major; you have a go."

The major turned to Chuck, "Dial the gate." Then he yelled to the drone techs, "Get that AirMALP ready, we need eyes."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Filtered sunlight now flooded the shop through the dusty window. With Shiana's help, Sheppard moved behind the rear counter, the corner where he had been all night was too exposed in the daylight. He convinced Shiana to hide in the loft above the rear of the store. She had resisted but finally agreed that if someone managed to get close to him, she would be in a better position to attack from the rear.

The sun had been up for slightly over an hour, and Sheppard was certain that the bounty hunters would be fanning out across the city. He was so tired, his fever increasing, his vision blurry; he was in no shape for hand-to-hand combat. He wasn't in shape for anything but passing out. That he was certain he would be quite proficient at doing, but he couldn't, he had to stay alert. The silence was screaming at him, as sick as he was, his hearing was hypersensitive. Every little gust of air had his heart pounding faster than the infection was causing.

His thoughts drifted back to the first Gulf War; he was a lieutenant, fresh out of the academy, on his first tour of duty as a helo pilot. His talents as a pilot had earned him training in Combat Search And Recovery, and he was flying a rescue mission for a group of SOs caught behind enemy lines. Everything was nominal until the motor turning the rotors failed, not providing enough power to maintain speed and the chopper went down. Sheppard scoffed, one of the first medals he was awarded came out of that incident. He managed to crash land the helo with only minor injuries to the crew, but they were behind enemy lines, so much for the rescue mission.

They had nowhere to hide except the helo, which left them very vulnerable to the enemy. He remembered how hard his heart was beating, as he hunkered down under cover of the helo. It was six hours before another rescue team found them, and those six hours was the most frightened he had been in his life, except for the confusion and fear he felt the day his mother died. When they had safely returned to base, the captain of the SO unit approached him as he left the infirmary. He remembered the conversation as if it had happened yesterday.

"Sheppard, wait up."

"Captain Marlowe, what can I do for you, sir?"

"About today, lieutenant; there's something I need to tell you."

"Sir, I'm sorry; I should have checked to make certain the helo was in working condition. I put everyone in danger."

The captain had dropped his head then, the slightest of smiles crossing his face. "Look, we wouldn't be alive if you hadn't kept control of that Pave, and gotten us on the ground. The crash was an accident, Sheppard; a mechanical failure, it was not your fault. What I wanted to tell you was that I know you were scared out there. It was what, your second mission?"

He had nodded, even though he was loathed to admit he was scared, "Yes, sir."

"Well, it wasn't my second mission, lieutenant, and I was damn scared. The one thing that you need to remember is that we are all scared. How we deal with that fear is what matters. Fear can make you seize-up or fear can be your friend; let it be your friend, embrace it. Let it cause your senses to become super-senses, your hearing, your eyesight, hell, your sense of smell…let it work for you. Don't try to be unafraid, make it work for you; it will keep you alive."

As he listened for the softest of noises outside the shop, he thought about the notion that fear could keep him alive. He was rarely aware of fear anymore. His reaction to dangerous situations had become so automatic that he responded without thinking. Marlowe had been right; fear had kept him alive many times. He wondered if it could now.

The minutes dragged on; occasionally, Sheppard could hear Shiana move around from her perch on the loft. He was struggling to stay awake. He was weak; alternating between burning up and shivering, the room was spinning, more often than standing still, his vision blurry. He was fighting passing out when he heard a muffled voice.

"Nevi; check those building across the street, I'll look on this side. Ventur ordered us to check every building, so don't skip any. Meet me at the end of the street."

He tensed, grasping the 'broomstick bayonet' lance tightly, willing his arm not to shake. He rose to sit on his heels, so that he could spring up to surprise anyone who entered. He heard Shiana move on the loft, hoping that she wouldn't panic and give her location away.

The hunter pushed hard on the door, which stopped abruptly when it struck the debris that Shiana had carefully piled in the front of the door. Sheppard hoped that the hunters would think that the debris blocking the door was from the attack by the replicators, and would keep them from coming in the shop. There was a pause and Sheppard held his breath, waiting for the hunter to give up. A loud grunt and the crashing of the heavy door against the debris quickly dashed his hopes.

Before he ducked lower behind the counter, he caught a glimpse of the hunter. He was tall, broad-shouldered, formidable, and from the quick look, Sheppard noticed the man was carrying a Genii pistol. He tried to slow his breathing, but the longer he crouched behind the counter, the dizzier he was becoming. He needed this to be over quickly.

The hunter picked his way over the debris, light from a flashlight penetrating the dark corners; it was only a matter of moments before he would check behind the counter. Sheppard tensed even more, waiting like a coiled Cobra to strike, but his vision was blurry, and he could barely focus on the back of the counter much less anything further away. He was thankful that the hunter was big, lessened his chance of missing him with the bayonet.

A loud crash startled Sheppard, and he stifled a shout of surprise. The hunter had turned over a display table just a couple of feet away from the counter. Sheppard waited, hearing the man picking his way across the shop, getting closer to him with each step. He took a deep breath, gripping his lance tighter.

The brightening daylight streaming into the store gave Sheppard a bit of an advantage. The hunter was casting a shadow as he walked across the room, and Sheppard was monitoring the man's movements across the floor. The pale shadow was now along the wall behind the counter.

Sheppard waited until the shadow was almost on him, and then sprung up, shoving the bayonet into the hunter's chest. The hunter instinctively grabbed the lance and pushed it away, blood pouring from the wound near the center of his chest. He tried to raise his weapon, but he faltered as the life drained out of him; uttering a weak moan, he fell to the floor.

The exertion had taken a lot of energy from Sheppard's already depleted reserves; using the counter for support, he made his way to the front to determine the hunter was dead. He had just reached the body when Shiana whispered to him.

"Colonel, are you alright?"

As his fingertips pressed against the hunter's neck, Sheppard answered her, "I'm fine, now be quiet." He retrieved the hunter's weapon. Using the counter as leverage, he slowly pushed himself up, then leaned across the counter, unable to move. "The other hunter will come looking for this guy doesn't when he doesn't meet up with him. Just stay up there."

"You sound very weak; I'm coming now."

"No…stay there, I'm fine." He forced himself upright, gripping the counter to keep from falling over. "I need to get back in position."

Shiana spoke again, this time much closer. "I will not stay here. We need to move this body first. We don't want to give ourselves away as soon as his friend shows up."

He dropped his head, "I told you to stay out of sight."

She laughed, "Since when did I ever take any credence in what you say, Colonel Sheppard."

He turned to look at her, "Yeah, well, there is that."

Shiana helped him back around the counter and eased him onto the floor. He sank without a word, resting his back against the wall. "Just give me a minute, I'll be fine."

"Sure, you will." She walked away, retrieving a tarp from the cubbyholes in the corner. She laid the tarp next to body, rolled the dead man onto it, and began to drag him as best as she could through the debris. Through sheer effort, she managed to get the body out of the line of sight from the front door, and folded the tarp over to hide the dead hunter.

Returning to Sheppard she asked, "How much time do you think we have?"

"No idea, h-how many buildings…on this street?

"Only a few, I think; this is a side street off the main street, but I am not certain."

"Well…we need to…get ready; back upstairs."

"No, you are not able to fight off anymore of these hunters; you need me."

He grimaced, "Shiana, I…"

"Neither of us asked for this; Livica made us allies, colonel, at least for now. Now rest while you can, I am staying here."

Resigning himself to Shiana's stubbornness, he muttered, "You…sound like my team, they don't a-always listen to me either."

"Rest, I am going to go retrieve a few things from the loft."

As he sensed her leaving, Sheppard closed his eyes; in a few seconds, he was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The buzzing noise roused her from her thoughts. She knew there was nothing currently on the planet that could make that sound. Livica rushed to the window, looking toward the sky but could not see the source of the buzzing. She activated the radio strapped to her wrist, a Genii radio that Ventur had acquired. He was wearing the only other radio he had been able to locate.

"Ventur, I can hear some sort of machine; it sounded like it was coming from the sky. Do you hear it?"

"No, not yet, madam but we are a distance away from you."

She asked testily, "Did you leave anyone at the Ancestors ring?"

"No, we decided not to do that, remember. You wanted everyone on the hunt."

"A hunt that isn't going well, is it, Ventur? I don't see a beaten, defeated Sheppard in front of me. Find him and find out what's causing that noise, and while you're at it, get some people to guard the ring. I don't wish to be surprised by those meddlesome people from Atlantis."

She barely heard his reply, as anger seethed inside her. She peered out the window again, and muttered loudly, "I will avenge my family and my people. He will die for them all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woolsey was hanging over McKay's shoulder watching the data feed from the AirMALP, "What are we seeing?"

McKay compressed his lips together as he viewed the screen, only answering when Woolsey asked him again. "What we are seeing are infrared images from the city. There are teams of people all over the place."

"So, no way to know which one is the colonel or Shiana?"

"No."

Switching to normal view, Rodney said, "This city has been devastated, but not to the extent we have seen on other planets. I think the Wraith, and the Replicators were too busy fighting each other to annihilate the planet completely.

Ronon asked, "What are those?" He was pointing to numerous small vehicles, some about the size and complexity of a golf cart, some a bit larger.

McKay answered, "According to the data Herus brought, those are vehicles used for transportation. The Jutans generated electricity by hydropower generators; the vehicles ran on battery power. Apparently, the Replicators took out the planet's power grid with an EM pulse.

Lorne grabbed Rodney's arm, "Come on, doc; let's go, we have a pretty good idea of what we're dealing with." He looked as Woolsey as McKay gathered his pad, "We'll find them."

A few minutes later, three jumpers dropped, one after another, from the bay and disappeared through the stargate, followed by several teams of ground forces. As the gate shut down, the Atlantians left behind settled in to wait for word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiana heard the crunch of boots on the debris-strewn street. She shook Sheppard, "Wake up, someone's coming."

Sheppard struggled awake; he was shivering, dizzy, and disoriented. "W-who…"

She whispered, "It's the other hunter."

"Okay…" His arm felt like lead as he reached for the Genii gun. All he could think was that aiming and firing it was going to be very difficult.

Shiana had closed the door again, replacing the debris as best she could. She couldn't afford to spend the time she needed for fear that the other hunter would find her. There wasn't enough debris and this hunter had no trouble pushing the door open. He cautiously entered the shop, whispering, "Cervis; it's Nevi, are you here?"

Not getting an answer, he kept walking toward the back of the shop, stopping a few feet from the counter when something caught his eye. He dropped to one knee, and touched the dark wet puddle about a foot in front of the counter. Touching the pool of liquid, his fingers were red, "Blood, fresh blood." He stood up, his eyes following the trail of blood toward a lumpy tarp. He headed for the lump and pulled the tarp back, "Cervis." Whirling around, looking in all directions, Nevi pulled his gun, another Genii weapon, and yelled, "Come out, I said come out now."

Shiana started to rise, but Sheppard stopped her, and rose himself; the gun held in a very shaky hand, "Here I am." Nevi spun toward Sheppard's voice, just as Sheppard fired, and missed. The hunter fired at Sheppard, but not before the colonel managed to squeeze off another round, this one hitting the man in the chest.

Sheppard fell sideways against the wall, then slid down, leaving a trail of blood; he'd been shot in the right hip. Shiana screamed, startling Nevi, who turned toward her. Sheppard fired again, but his shot went wild. He was too weak to control it, but it distracted Nevi long enough for Shiana to act.

She grabbed the mini-crossbow that Sheppard made and stood up. As Nevi, turned toward her, she released the metal stake from the bow. The stake wobbled but did what she needed it to do; it struck Nevi in the eye, the sharp point driving into the hunter's brain. He was dead before he hit the floor.

"Sheppard," she dropped next to him, "Let me see how badly you are injured." The bullet had torn into his hip, just above his thigh; blood was flowing profusely from the wound. "I can't find an exit wound." She searched his vest for another pressure bandage but there were none.

"I have to find something to use as a bandage. I'll be back." As she rose, Sheppard grabbed her arm.

"No, you…need to leave h-here; they'll hear…the gunfire. Find…another place to hide, like we talked about."

"I am not leaving." She tried to pull away, but he gripped her arm even tighter.

"Do what…we talked a-bout, go over roof...tops…get away." Sheppard began to take shallow rapid breaths, his hand falling away from her.

Shiana sighed, "Nice try." She remembered seeing a stack of cloths in the loft; quickly retrieving several, she returned to Sheppard. She ripped the fabric of his BDU pants a bit and slid folded pads of fabric over the wound tucking the corners under the black fabric. She was still not certain if there was enough pressure over the wound, so she unhooked his empty gun holster, slipping the belt from the holster. She wrapped the belt around his hips, pulling as tightly as she dared.

"There, that should put enough pressure on the wound." He didn't answer; he had passed out. She shook her head, "You are no help to me now, colonel; I'm going to have to figure this out on my own."  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorne banked right as the jumper burst through the gate and immediately engaged the cloak. Following him, Captain Winters banked left and Lieutenant Salem flew straight from the gate. They quickly established perimeter around the immediate area, while Stackhouse, Isaacs, Morgan, and Wong, along with Herus's team and an additional Latiran team, came through the gate on foot.

Lorne keyed his COM, "Stackhouse, the HUD is showing approximately thirty life signs scattered across the city. They're mostly in groups of two; seem to be running a search grid."

Stackhouse responded, "Transfer that data to me; I'm going to leave Wong's team at the gate. We're heading out."

"Understood; stay in contact, Lorne out."

Sitting in the jumper with Lorne was Sheppard's team, along with Herus, Dr. Beckett, and an EMT team. His own team was 'baby sitting' Herus' group, although he hadn't presented it exactly that way to Herus. McKay, sitting in the copilot's seat, was quiet, which surprised Lorne.

"Dr. McKay, you okay?

McKay, seemingly lost in thought, reacted slowly, "Yeah….I'm fine. We just need to find Sheppard."

Teyla was sitting behind him, "We will, Rodney. It is a good sign that these people seem to be searching for something, no doubt John is eluding them."

Ronon asked, "When are we going to land, so we can help in the search. I want down there."

Let's give the ground teams' time to get the lay of the land and see if we can pinpoint where the colonel might be. That shouldn't take long; we'll be on the ground soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sheppard regained consciousness, and immediately felt claustrophobic; his back was against something hard, and covered by a heavy cloth. His initial instinct was to throw the covering off, but his training kicked in, resisting the urge. He listened closely, then shifted ever so slightly until he could move his right arm, searching for the edge of the cloth. He was about to pull it back, when he heard Shiana's voice.

"Sheppard, be quiet; they are out there. I expect them inside here any second. I have moved you to where the tarps were stored. I dare say that my back will never recover; you are quite a bit heavier than you appear, colonel.

"Sorry," he said weakly. He thought he heard a soft laugh from her.

"Listen closely; you are in no shape to fight. I have done all I can to hide you, when they come in, you must absolutely still and quiet, or we will both die."

"I…told you, you need to…get away." His voice was raspy and much weaker than before.

"Colonel, I am a council member of the Pegasus Coalition; last time I looked, I outrank you in this galaxy. Now do what I tell you. They will not kill me, until they find you; perhaps I can buy us sometime to see if your Atlantis teammates can find us."

Muffled voices drifted into the shop from the street. Before the hunters entered the shop, Sheppard whispered, "They will."

 

 _End of Chapter 4_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading....would love to hear your thoughts so far!


	5. Bounty Found

**BOUNTY**

 _By stella_pegasi_

 **Chapter Five Bounty Found**

Lieutenant Edward Wong sat on his knees in a weedy, overgrown garden that lay along one side of the large plaza surrounding the stargate. The planet's capitol lay about a half-click from the gate. The rest of his team and the two Latiran solders Herus assigned to remain with them were similarly deployed, out of sight in the brush or behind the covered structures that dotted the plaza perimeter. Wong desired forewarning of any unfriendly visitors, especially if they had the colonel and the councilwoman with them, in case the bad guys panicked and attempted to eliminate their hostages. He knew Lorne would have his hide if that happened, but he was more afraid what Ronon would do to him. Losing his hide would be the least of his worries.

They had been in place about forty-minutes when they heard voices coming from the road to the city. A road cut through the forest that separated the plaza from the city, curving just past the plaza; the voices weren't yet visible. Two clicks of his radio, alerted his team, and they waited as the voices became clearer.

"I can't believe Ventur pulled us off the search. I bet that bitch is going to reward whoever finds those two, and it won't be us. We'll be stuck at the Ancestors Ring while some idiot like Nevi gets all the glory."

"Ish, Ventur said everyone would be getting a good reward for this, no one more than anyone else," his companion replied, as the two emerged from the tree line.

"You believe Ventur? He's wanted for murder on six planets; he calls himself a bounty hunter but he's nothing more than a murderer."

"And what do you think you are? We kidnapped these people and now we're hunting them down like the fuga that we hunted back home."

The two hunters were near the gate, as Ish replied. "We wouldn't have to be doing this, Tiza, if we had a home to go to, but the replica…." Both men froze as several weapons were suddenly pointed at them.

"Raise your hands, now." Lieutenant Wong stepped out of the weeds, motioning to his team members to secure the prisoners. As they were doing so, he keyed his COM, "Major Lorne, we just captured two of the bounty hunters at the gate."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sheppard was struggling to remain quiet, but the pain radiating from the two gunshot wounds was excruciating. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out, each time he took a breath. He was burning up; being under the heavy tarp with all the boxes, tarps and equipment, Shiana piled against his body to conceal him, wasn't helping. He felt like he was floating, which indicated to him that he was extremely dizzy. Better that he was lying down, if he tried to get up, he'd end up on his ass anyway.

Shiana had returned to the loft telling him that he needed to remain quiet, regardless of what happened. He wasn't very happy about her instruction, but he realized she was right. He was in absolutely no position to fight off anyone, and realized that if he were caught, he and Shiana would soon be dead. Against his instincts, he decided to play this Shiana's way, for now.

Reluctantly, Sheppard had to admit that Shiana was clever. She had hidden him, but also moved the bodies of the bounty hunters where they would be found. Her thinking was that if they found the bodies of their comrades, they would assume that their quarry had escaped and leave the shop. A good plan, but he was suspicious of the bounty hunters; he was not so certain they would be duped so easily.

Through the tarp, he heard muffled voices that became clearer as he heard the sound of the door scraping across the floor. He could make out at least three voices.

"You sure they were searching this area?

"Yes, we were two blocks over. We divided this section of town up, Nevi and Cervis were searching here. It's not like them to miss a check-in."

Sheppard heard footfalls on the floor, coming closer to him; he gripped the knife Shiana gave him tightly, ready to strike if they discovered him. One of the voices called out for the missing

"Nevi, Cervis, you here?"

The hunter asked again before he uttered a startled grunt, then Sheppard heard a thud. He was certain they had just discovered a body.

"Monda, help me up; it's Nevi."

Another voice called out, "Cervis is over here, he's dead."

A deeper voice spoke, "Creen, Ventur is at the central meeting place, go get him."  
Meanwhile, you two get these bodies out of here."

Sheppard listened as the bodies were moved out of the shop. He was getting so hot under the tarp that he was blacking out briefly, before he managed to rouse himself. He was sliding into darkness when another voice roused him.

"Monda, what's going on here?"

"Ventur, that bastard killed Cervis and Nevi. He has a weapon; Nevi was shot."

Ventur responded, a note of irony in his voice, "So the prey became the predator. Madam said not to underestimate Sheppard; apparently, these two didn't heed the warning. Search this building, leave nothing unturned."

"Why should we search this building? They must have left here; I doubt they would have stayed, Ventur."

"You wouldn't stay, but I would, hoping that you'd think just that, or if you didn't, I could still take you out. Search the building."

Monda mumbled an okay and Sheppard heard the sound of boxes being moved and cabinets being opened. He struggled to gain his composure, but he knew he couldn't put up a fight. He could barely think through the pain in his hip, but he did know that there was no way the hunters would not discover him. As he steeled himself, for the moment they found him, he heard another voice, Shiana.

"Who is in command here?"

The sound of searching stopped and Ventur replied sarcastically, "You say that as if you believe you are."

Sheppard held his breath as he heard Shiana's light footsteps on the stairs above him. "Actually, I am, for I have what you want."

"Really, what would you possibly have that I would want, councilwoman?"

"You like playing games don't you; well, you are going to have to play with me."

"Shiana, is it?" Ventur paused, as she must have acknowledged her name. "Well, Shiana, all I need to know is where Sheppard is; I have a beef with him. He killed two of my men. Before I turn him over to Madam, I want a little quality time with him. I want him to pay for his deeds."

She laughed, "Don't we all; I had him kidnapped and brought before the Alliance Council for his crimes, but the fools let him go. I want him to suffer as much as you do, as much as your leader does. He's responsible for the death of my family as well."

"You are in no position to bargain, Shiana; your bravado will not work with me."

"Your Madam is no different from me; she wants revenge, as do I."

"Where is Sheppard, tell me now, or I will kill you myself."

"First, you were present when your leader offered me a choice, if I give her Sheppard, she will spare my life. I want your assurance of that."

"The Madam said she would spare your life, if you deliver Sheppard to us. Now tell me where Sheppard is hiding?"

"You couldn't find him if he was under your nose. I will need to show you."

"Why should I take you with me?"

"Because, Sheppard is expecting me; our plan was to split up. Then after a period, I was to join him by taking another route. We planned this during the hours before dawn. He left after killing your men, telling me to stay here for the arranged time, then join him. He said you would find your men and think we had fled, that you wouldn't search the building for me. He was to leave a trail leading away from here to fool you, then double back to where we were to meet originally."

Ventur replied, "We saw no trail leading from this building."

Shiana uttered an angry grunt, "I trusted him, and he knew you would you look for us here, and that you would search the shop. That bastard left me to be found, giving himself more time to get away. The colonel will be surprised to see me, and he never believe that I would lead you to him. If you want to capture Sheppard, then you need me; I want him dead as much as you do." Her last words were delivered with pure venom.

Ventur stepped toward her, "If I discover you are lying to me, I will kill you myself. For now, I will take you at your word."

"Do not worry; I will turn him over to you with pleasure."

Sheppard heard the door open, and the rustling of people leaving the shop. As the footsteps faded, he weakly raised his hand, feeling for the edge of the tarp and pulled it opened slightly to allow fresh air into his cocoon. His instinct was to get up and follow Shiana; she was risking her life to save his. However, as he attempted to move, pain swept over him, taking his breath away. As he grew fainter, he thought he heard a mechanical buzzing noise; he passed out wondering what it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorne landed the cloak jumper on the plaza, quickly lowering the ramp. Ronon was the first person to disembark, Rodney, Teyla, and Beckett behind him. Lorne caught up with them and headed directly for Wong, who had taken the prisoners in one of the small covered pavilions along the plaza.

"Lieutenant, get any information from them yet?"

"Nothing that will help us pinpoint exactly where the colonel is, sir; but we can confirm that the colonel is in the city, and we know what they are doing here. It's a cat and mouse game, sir; and Colonel Sheppard and the councilwoman are the mice."

Lorne clenched his jaw as he entered the pavilion. The two young bounty hunters were sitting on a bench, neither looked old enough to be involved in such a sinister plot, and both looked very frightened.

Lorne spoke, "Tell me what you know, and I will inform the Alliance authorities that you cooperated. Where are Colonel Sheppard and Councilwoman Shiana?"

Tiza, glanced at Ish, then answered nervously, "We don't know, Madam had them dumped in the city two hours before sunrise. She wanted to toy with them, so she gave them a chance to get into the city and hide before we began hunting for them. We had explicit orders not to kill them; she just wanted us to rough them up when we found them. She's planning on killing them herself."

"You don't have any idea what direction they went in?"

"No; Ventur paired us up and sent us in all directions to hunt for them." Tiza answered. As Lorne walked away, Tiza added, "The man, he was hurt pretty badly."

Ronon reacted, emitting a deep throaty growl, before Teyla grabbed his arm and whispered to him to calm down. Lorne turned to Wong, "Get these two to Atlantis and inform Woolsey what's going on, then get back here. You tell Woolsey we'll be returning with the colonel and councilwoman as quickly as we can." He looked at Sheppard's team, "Come on, let's go get our CO."

Within a couple of minutes, Lorne had the jumper in the air, heading for the city. He immediately made a broadcast to all COMs, "This is Lorne; Colonel Sheppard and Councilwoman Shiana are on the planet. The bounty hunters are searching for them in teams of two; Ponaes released the hostages before sunrise, then sent the hunters to find them. Neutralize those teams, lethal force authorized, use only if necessary. Check every building thoroughly, the hostages could be anywhere. Confirmed that Colonel Sheppard is injured, let's find him people; Lorne out."

From aboard Lieutenant Salem's jumper, the AirMALP tech reported, "Major, the AM has detected eight blips in the same location and stationary. I don't think they're our people; according to the deployment map, Captain Stackhouse's team is in the area but they're still a few blocks away."

"Understood," Lorne answered, then said to McKay, "Keep an eye on the HUD for anything unusual, doc. Finding the colonel is gonna be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

McKay sighed, "I just hope we aren't too late," his words eliciting another throaty growl from Ronon, who was standing in the doorway to the cockpit.

Teyla replied, "Major Lorne and the others will not rest until they find John, nor will we."

McKay swiveled his seat around, "Teyla, Carson thinks Sheppard's hurt badly; we need to find him now."

Teyla sighed and rubbed McKay's shoulder as Beckett commented to no one particular, "I've learned that the lad has more than nine lives. I'm certain he's alive, and we'll find him."

While Lorne and the other jumpers were running a grid search across the city, Captain Isaacs and his team were searching a quadrant in the eastern section. They were tracking down a narrow street that dead-ended at a wide cross street. The only building visible was a long one-story building that stretched across the narrow street opening. The damaged building reminded Isaacs of the old abandoned factories in his hometown. Just past mid-block, Isaacs threw up a fist, and motioned for his team to scatter. They scrambled to find hiding places. A door to the building opened and a woman matching Herus' description of Ponaes, emerged accompanied by a man Isaacs recognized from the attack when Sheppard's team was captured.

Keying his COM, Isaacs's whispered, "Major, Isaacs here; we just spotted Ponaes and one of the colonel's kidnappers. They just left a building, heading west. We're going to follow."

After Lorne's acknowledgement, Isaacs motioned for his team to move forward.

In the southwest section of town, Captain Stackhouse's team had just come across a team of hunters. They shadowed the two for a short distance, waiting while they searched one building at the end of the block. Stackhouse's team was close enough to hear them.

"No need to go that way," one hunter said as he pointed to the south, "that's where they found Nevi and Cervis. That bastard killed them; I want him."

The other one replied, "I know, but you do that and that woman will kill you where you stand. Better let her take the revenge, we just take the money."

"You're right; the money's the only reason we did this anyway, let's head this way."

As he started to turn west, Stackhouse's team surprised them, quickly subduing them. Stackhouse held his K-Bar to the throat of one of them, "Tell me where the two men were killed, and I'll let you live."

The man sputtered, "I...I think on the second street over, building about mid-block."

"You better certain about that; 'cause if you are lying to me, I will cut your throat."

"Honest, I don't know for sure; we just peeked down there when we saw Ventur head that way."

Stackhouse asked, "Ventur, who's he?"

"Leader of the bounty hunters, we saw him take the woman away."

"What about the man you kidnapped, where is he?"

The other hunter spoke, "We didn't have anything to do with kidnapping, and we're only searching for them. We don't know where the man is, I swear."

Stackhouse pushed the hunter against the wall, "Truss and gag them, then we find that building."

As Corporals Brenner and Rodriguez tied up and gagged the captives, Rodriguez smiled at his buddy, "See, broki, I told you the colonel was alive; you know he's the one that took out two of the bogies."

Brenner chuckled, "Colonel Sheppard never ceases to amaze me."

Rodriguez nodded, then turned serious, "But the major said he's hurt, Paulie; we have to find him quickly."

Brenner finished tying up his guy and turned to Rodriguez, "Ray; I know the colonel's hurt. Unfortunately, we've been there before; but we'll find him."

With the two hunters tucked out of sight, Stackhouse led his team toward the street in question. As they hurried along, the captain relayed the intel they gathered to Lorne.

Lorne replied, "The AirMalp's been tracking several life signs moving away from that area. There's interference from some building in the area so no accurate count on the number. I have Morgan's team headed that way, but their ETA is over twenty minutes. I'll divert the AM back to your location, but it's going to take a few minutes."

"Major, keep the AM following those life signs, give us time to locate the colonel. I'll update you every five minutes; Stackhouse out."

Inside the jumper, Stackhouse's news brought one comment from Ronon, "Time to get down there, major."

Lorne glanced over his shoulder, "Couldn't agree with you more." Lorne checked the HUD, "Closest place to Stackhouse's location is about three blocks away, there appears to be a town square with room to land. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."

Stackhouse brought his team to a halt as they reached the street the men indicated. He peered around the corner, catching his breath as he saw two bodies lying on the sidewalk, about mid-block. Whispering the information to his team, he motioned them forward.

Cautiously, they proceeded down the block until they reached the bodies. Stackhouse knelt down, pressing his fingertips against one body's neck, then the other. "They're dead alright; gunshot on this one, this one was stabbed." He stood up, looking toward the shop door, "Looks like they were dragged from inside there, let's go check it out."

They entered the building noting the overturned boxes at the entry. "Looks like there's been a struggle in here captain," Sergeant Michaels remarked, as he kicked one of the crates.

"With Replicators and Wraith attacking simultaneously, I'm surprised any place on this planet looks as orderly as it does." Stackhouse continued, "Michaels, check out the upstairs. Brenner, Rodriguez, start in the rear of the store; I'll check out up here."

At the rear of the store, hidden under the pile of tarps, Sheppard awoke abruptly; someone had entered the shop. He held his breath, not moving.

Brenner headed to the rear left and walked behind the counter, Rodriguez toward the cubbyholes on the right. Brenner stopped when an object caught his eye, he bent over, picking up the mini-crossbow. "Ray, look, Colonel Sheppard had to have been here," he held up the crossbow. "Remember when the colonel told us about learning how to make one of these? He's been here."

Rodriguez beamed, "Yeah, broki; I remember. Keep looking, the colonel could be hiding somewhere."

Sheppard's heart began to beat rapidly, through his fever-induced haze he struggled to listen. Those voices sounded familiar… he had to remember. He was becoming agitated as he struggled to think, did he hear one say Ray…Ray…yes, it was Ray…Rodriguez. Weakly, he reached for the edge of the tarp; he had to get their attention. With all the energy he could muster, he called out Ray's name, "Rod-riguez."

Rodriguez stopped in his tracks, as Brenner said something to him, "Paulie, quiet, I heard something." They both froze, Brenner quietly making his way to Rodriguez. Then they heard the soft sound again, "C-corporals."

Rodriguez yelled loudly, "Captain; we found him. Colonel Sheppard's over here; he's alive, sir."

Stackhouse immediately contacted Lorne, who had just landed on the small square, then rushed to the back of the store. He found the corporals pushing crates and pulling tarps away from Sheppard, and quickly joined in. When they finally had him uncovered, all three of them gasped, taking note of his bloody, bruised face, a heavily bandaged right hip; his body covered in deep cuts and scratches. The colonel was pale, sweaty, and trembling.

Brenner grabbed his canteen, and lifted Sheppard's head, touching the canteen to his lips. Sheppard drank greedily before Brenner pulled the canteen away, "Not too much, colonel, Dr. Beckett's on the way; he'll take care of you."

Rodriguez's folded a tarp and slipped it under Sheppard's head, then covered him with another tarp. Stackhouse knelt down next to him, "It's really good to see you, sir. I know you are in pain, colonel, but can you tell me anything about Councilwoman Shiana?"

Sheppard swallowed, "She…they have her…s-she was leading them away from…me. Trying to…pro-tect me, got to…find her." His voice trailed off and his eyes closed.

Stackhouse placed his hand on Sheppard's right shoulder and gently squeezed, "Don't worry, sir; we'll find her." He stood up, "Michaels, Beckett's on his way; find them and lead them here." Michaels nodded and rushed out the door.

Rodriguez, who had EMT training, quickly assessed the colonel's condition. After a few moments, he looked up at Stackhouse, "It would be easier to tell you what isn't wrong with the colonel. He has two gunshot wounds, one to his left shoulder, which is badly infected and is most likely the source of his high fever. The wound's still bleeding; the bandages are soaked with fresh blood. The other wound is to the right hip, and I don't see an exit wound, so that's not good. If that wasn't enough, he's been beaten badly and he's covered in cuts, one really deep one on his thigh, which also looks infected."

Stackhouse rubbed his forehead, "Anyone know the colonel's middle name?" When the two corporals looked at him with puzzled expressions, he added, "I'm thinking his middle name has to be Rasputin."

Brenner chuckled said, "Yes, sir, I think you're on to something."

At that moment, Beckett came rushing through the door, "Where is he?"

Stackhouse replied, "Over here, doc."

Beckett, followed by Sheppard's team, Lorne and Herus, rushed toward the back of the shop. Beckett dropped to his knees next to Rodriquez. He smiled at Sheppard, "Ah, laddie, what have you done to yourself now?"

Sheppard's mouth curled slightly, "Someone…has to keep…you busy, doc."

"Well, John, it doesn't have to be you, all the time. Now let me take a look."

"Is he okay, Carson?" McKay asked anxiously.

"Rodney, give me time to examine him. The good thing is he's alive."

Lorne told Stackhouse, "When Michaels told us how bad Sheppard was hurt, we sent him to get the EMT team and a litter, so we can get the colonel back to Atlantis as soon as possible."

Herus asked, "Any idea where they have taken Shiana?"

Stackhouse replied, "The colonel said that Ventur took her away; she was leading them away from here to protect him."

Lorne added, "Isaacs' team is trailing Ponaes, they're heading west." He keyed his radio, "Isaacs, click twice if you can't talk." Lorne's radio clicked twice. OK...click once for yes, twice for no; are you still following Ponaes?" One click. "Do you see Shiana yet?" Two clicks.

"McKay, can you track them on that pad from a jumper HUD feed?" McKay nodded.

Lorne called Captain Winters, "Captain, zero in on Isaacs' radio, and feed your HUD data to Dr. McKay's pad. Stay with Isaacs, don't lose him."

Sheppard whispered Lorne's name, and Beckett tugged on the major's sleeve to get his attention. Lorne sat on his heels next to the colonel, "Good to see you, Colonel Sheppard; we were worried."

"Follow Liv-ica, not going…kill her yet, she ordered…them not to k-kill us. She…she was planning to kill us herself. They'll take her to Liv…" Sheppard closed his eyes, not able to finish.

"Don't worry, sir; we'll find her."

Beckett touched Lorne's arm, "That's enough, major; he's too weak."

Lorne stood up, addressing Teyla, "Teyla, stay here with Beckett; Brenner, Rodriquez, you too. The rest of you with me. Doc, when the litter gets here, contact Lt. Salem, tell him to put down in the square where we landed. There's room, but tell him to park on the south side of the square, my jumper's cloaked and on the north. We are going to head to Isaac's location." Lorne and the others headed for the entrance, but Ronon and McKay hesitated.

Teyla smiled softly at both men, "Go with the major. John will be fine; I won't leave him." Reluctantly, Ronon and McKay left with Lorne.

With Brenner and Rodriguez's help, Beckett removed Sheppard's TAC vest and blood-soaked BDU shirt. Carefully, he pulled the old bandages away from the shoulder wound.

"Bugger, this is a mess, definitely infected. Ray, I need you to take those sterile pads and clean that shoulder using this sterile water, while I get an IV going. Teyla, help him roll John to clean wound on his back."

Teyla shifted next to Rodriguez to assist him. Beckett had Brenner hold a bag of saline while he inserted a port into Sheppard's right arm, then hooked up the IV. Once he was done, Beckett retrieved a morphine syringe from his med kit, with the intention of giving Sheppard enough, to not only relieve the pain but also sedate him. He wanted to examine his hip wound, but knew it would be painful. As the doctor started to push the meds into the port, Sheppard grabbed his arm.

"No…no drugs."

Teyla gently stroked Sheppard's face, "John, please allow Dr. Beckett to help you."

Sheppard spoke through gritted teeth, as Rodriguez cleaned his shoulder wound, "No, don't…put me out, give me enough to take the e-edge off."

"Laddie, you are badly injured, and you have a massive infection. You have to allow me to take care of you."

Sheppard tried to sit up, looking to Rodriguez for help. The corporal helped him up, "They have S-Shiana…and I'm…not going anywhere until she…she's safe. Now, patch me up…and let's get going." He was breathing erratically, but he was determined.

Beckett shook his head, "No, no…you are too sick, no…"

Sheppard's green, pain-filled eyes stared intently into Beckett's, "Yes; she risked…her life…to save me. I'm not," he took a shallow breath, "leaving here…without her."

 _End of Chapter 5_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading....love to hear from you!


	6. Woman Scorned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of Bounty.

**BOUNTY**

 _By stella_pegasi_

 **Chapter Six Woman Scorned**

"I've had enough of this," Ventur bellowed, roughly grabbing Shiana's upper arm, anger evident on his face, "Take me to Sheppard, now."

"I told you, it was dark when we planned this; nothing looks the same in the daylight, these back streets all look alike. I was certain the building, two streets over, was the right one." She glared at Ventur, "Be patient, I will lead you to him; I have no intention of dying. Now, release my arm."

Ventur tightened his grasp, "You are arrogant, and your arrogance is quickly leading to your death. I might just decide to kill you myself. I will give you another thirty minutes, then Madam can deal with you."

He shoved Shiana ahead of him, causing her to stumble, turning her ankle, and fall onto the rough street, scraping her elbows and shoulder as she slid to a stop. She pushed herself off the ground, barely keeping her rage in check, "Do not push me, I am taking you to Sheppard. You just need to give me time to find the building." Shiana spun away from Ventur, her skirts whirling around her, as she continued, limping slightly, down the debris-strewn street. The bounty hunter and his men followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dusty, broken city streets were behind them as Captain Isaacs and his team followed Livica into a residential area, approximately a click from the city. What had once been a tree lined street with one and two-story stone block homes, now looked as if a tornado had wound its way through, destroying everything in its path. Many of the trees were broken and scorched, the homes crumbled from what appeared to be Replicator weapons.

Isaacs held his team back as they watched Livica pick her way through the debris toward a two-story house, part of which was no longer standing. The lone guard with her remained outside, leaning on the carcass of a large tree near the street.

Lieutenant Riva hunkered down behind the rusted shell of a small vehicle that the Jutans had used for transport. Sergeant Powers and Corporal Danzig chose to hide in a clump of overgrown bushes, while Isaacs stood behind the trunk of an enormous oak-like tree, one of the few trees that had survived.

Isaacs' COM chirped, "Isaacs, go ahead."

"Winters here, we're directly overhead, what's your status?

"Target is inside that house, only one guard with her now; he's out front on the street. Any word on Colonel Sheppard's condition yet?"

"All I know is that he's alive and badly injured; nothing more than that."

"Understood; keep us updated if you hear anything we don't. Lorne and his team are heading this way, any sign of them?"

"Yeah, they're about two clicks away; should be to your location within twenty. They ran into a couple of bogies, which slowed them down, but they dispatched them quickly. I'll give you a heads-up as soon as they are near by, so they won't surprise you; Winters, out"

Lieutenant Riva's position was only a few feet from his team leader. Glancing at Isaacs' face, he noticed the anxiety, quite evident on the captain's face. Isaacs had made it known to his team that he felt personally responsible for the capture of Sheppard and his team.

"Captain, the colonel's alive; that's a good thing."

Isaacs' snapped his head toward Riva and replied curtly, "Lieutenant, how is Colonel Sheppard injured…?" Isaacs stopped and took a deep breath he blew out before he continued, "Yeah, you’re right; the colonel is alive. That is a good thing and that's all that's important. Now we need to get Shiana back safely and this will be over."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the destroyed house, Livica Ponaes stood quietly in the gathering room, remembering. Although she had returned to Jutan numerous times since the attack, she had only returned to her home once. It had taken all the courage she could muster to walk down the street, much less, enter the home she had shared with her family. The agony she had felt at seeing her home for the first time, twisted in her chest once more.

She closed her eyes, remembering that first time she returned. Stone slabs that had fallen from the second floor blocking the front entrance, prevented her from entering. However, a group of Jutans had accompanied her; they were there to collect furniture, clothing, and other items. Theplan was to salvage as much as possible of their own things for use on the planet they were settling on. Several of the salvagers came to her aid and cleared the doorway for her to enter.

When she pushed open the door, Livica had held her breath, almost expecting her son and daughter to come running to her, as they always did when she returned home. But the house was eerily silent, except for the scraping of overgrown bushes, blown against the windows by a soft breeze. The concussion from the Replicator weapons had knocked pictures from the walls and items from the shelves. Broken crockery that had spilled from the cabinet in the dining room lay strewn about the floor.

Absently, she picked up a broken cup and cradled it in her hands; her grandmother's service set, given to her the day she and her husband, Revgan, had their commitment ceremony. As she walked through her kitchen where she had taught her son and daughter to cook, the pain in her heart was beginning to turn into something more. The pain was turning to rage.

She stepped around pieces of the wallboard lying on the stairs and climbed to the second floor. Her heart pounding when she reached the top of the stairs, she instinctively turned toward her children's bedrooms. However, that entire side of the house lay collapsed on the ground. Instead, she entered the bedroom she had shared with her husband.

The bedroom was almost as she had left it that morning, Revgan's robe and hers still lying across the hastily made bed. A bed now broken and covered with debris. They had been running late that morning, a celebration of a friend's day of birth had kept them out past their normal hours. She sat on the corner of the bed, overcome with grief, but the tears would not fall. The rage inside was beginning to grow.

Before returning downstairs, she rummaged through a dresser, retrieving a small leather box. Inside were images of her husband, children, and family, along with a ring and necklace, a gift from Revgan, and a bracelet her mother gave her on her Day of Passage. Livica slipped the box into the pocket of her jacket and left the room.

Once outside, she headed to the collapsed side of the house. Picking her way through the rubble of her children's things, she retrieved a small stuffed toy of her daughter's and a wooden replica of a transport her son had loved to play with when he was young. Returning to the salvage group, she instructed them to take what was intact from her home to add to the collective. Without looking back, she walked away, the rage inside turning into a burning need for revenge.

Now, as she stood in the house, devoid of everything except the broken remains of her life, she thought was a fitting place this was for the man responsible for her family's loss to lose his own life. He and the woman who failed to bring him to justice would die here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiana was walking as if she knew exactly where she was going. The fact was she was hoping to keep up the charade for as long as she could. The thirty minutes that Ventur had given her was almost up, and she was certain her ability to convince him the building was 'just around the corner' was over. She considered running, but had turned her ankle when Ventur pushed her down. With each step she took on the rough street, the pain was increasing; outrunning these bounty hunters wasn't an option.

She had taken a chance leading the hunters away from Sheppard, but suspected they would be dead now if she hadn't. What she hadn't suspected, when she had first seen him at the compound, was that she would be protecting John Sheppard. At that moment, Shiana had felt the same raging anger she had felt when he stood in front of the tribunal the first time she saw him. He had been resistant; she had thought him arrogant, defensive, yet he never denied that the Lantians had awakened the Wraith. He would only say the Wraith had inadvertently awakened when they rescued their people.

In the months following the release of the team, which she was most unhappy with, the Lantians had assisted the Pegasus Alliance in establishing order in the galaxy. Their help had been invaluable. The majority of the Alliance council, now many in number, looked to the Lantians for guidance in everything from farming techniques, construction, purifying water, to security. They had proven themselves to everyone, everyone, but her. She could not shake the deep anger that she felt, and could understand Livica's emotional rage. However, Shiana knew now that she was past the need to have them die for what happened. It was time to move forward despite the pain.

Deep in thought, Ventur's gruff voice startled her, "Grab her." Quickly, one of the hunters grabbed her, holding her tightly by both arms. She struggled, but the hunter was too powerful for her.

Ventur spoke into the Genii radio strapped to his wrist, "Madam, Shiana is lying; she's leading us in circles." He listened for a moment, then walked up to Shiana.

"Well, this is not your lucky day. Madam is quite angry, your chances of living much longer are not very good. " He turned to one of the bounty hunters, "Find the search leaders and tell them to keep looking for Sheppard; he's here somewhere. The man who finds him will be rewarded handsomely."

As the hunters led her to Livica, she hoped that Sheppard was telling the truth, that his people didn't leave anyone behind. She only hoped they would turn up in time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorne, along with Rodney, Ronon, Herus, and Stackhouse, moved in position with Isaacs' team. Isaacs gave Lorne a quick smile, "Expected you ten minutes ago, sir."

"Well, we kept running into bounty hunters, Ronon doesn't like them very much. We had to stop and…uh…wait as he took them out of the picture. What's happening here?"

"No movement, sir; Ponaes stuck her head out the door a while ago and called the guard over to speak to him. Then she went back inside, and he's just lounging on the steps now."

"No sign of Shiana yet?"

"No, sir; nothing, but Winters is above us, monitoring the area." Lorne nodded, and Isaacs asked, "Sir, any word on Colonel Sheppard's condition? We were only told he's alive, but not how badly he's injured."

"The colonel's banged up pretty badly; he's been shot twice, beaten severely, and has a serious infection." Lorne noticed the anguished look on Isaacs' face, "You know the colonel, he was arguing with Beckett about just giving him enough pain meds to knock the pain down. He wants to join the search for Shiana."

Isaacs didn't appear shocked, "That sounds like Colonel Sheppard. Who found him, sir?"

"Shouldn't surprise you, Corporals Brenner and Rodriguez."

"Major, you're right, no surprise there at all; those two seem to have a knack for finding the colonel when he's injured."

Lorne saw that Isaacs was still unsettled, "Isaacs, this isn't your fault, you know. It's just the Pegasus Galaxy, actually it's just Stargate Command." Lorne chuckled, "Doesn't matter Milky Way or Pegasus Galaxy, shit happens."

"Yes, sir; that it does, but we were supposed to be providing security, and we failed."

Lorne sighed, "Listen, even Colonel Sheppard thought this was most likely a group of unorganized thugs looking to make a quick buck by kidnapping him. No one knew that these would be really well trained bounty hunters with a crazed woman behind the plot. Ronon told me Sheppard was surprised and mad at himself for allowing them to get captured. So, if you want to get beaten up about this, get in line."

Isaacs nodded, and Lorne slapped him on the back, "Just remember, don't go telling the colonel that you feel guilty; he likes keeping all the guilt to himself." Both men shared a smile as their COM activated.

"Major, this is Winters; seven bogies heading toward you from the south, sending coordinates to Dr. McKay. Per your orders, I have notified the teams to begin to converge on your location. Will deploy them around the area and they will hold at the agreed distance until you call for them. Also, Lt. Salem is reporting that they are airborne, sir."

"Understood, stand-by, Winters." He looked over at McKay, who was behind the transport with Riva, "Doc, do you have them?"

McKay nodded, "They're about a half-click away."

"Okay, people; heads-up, we don't know if Shiana is with this group. Weapons free only on my orders, understood?" A chorus of 'yes, sirs' resounded through the COMs.

Herus slipped up to stand with Lorne and Isaacs, "Major, your call." Lorne gave the Latiran a barely perceptible nod and they waited.

Nearly ten minutes later, McKay gave a warning, "There are seven people approaching; should be able to see them any minute."

Corporal Danzig spotted them first, and signaled Lorne. As the group approached, Herus whispered, "Shiana is with them; and she appears hurt."

As they came closer, it was obvious that Shiana was having difficulty walking. One of the hunters was holding her up. They halted in front of Livica's house, and Ventur walked to the front door, disappearing inside. Shortly, he came out, motioning for Shiana to be brought forward.

He grabbed her arm, and turned her to face the door as Livica appeared. She motioned for Ventur to release Shiana and when he did, Shiana fell to the ground, unable to put weight on her right ankle.

Livica walked over to her and kicked Shiana in her right leg, Shiana screamed. Livica laughed, "Injured are you? Well, don't worry, you won't be in pain for long. Soon you will feel nothing; however, before I give you the gift of feeling no pain, you will pay for your deeds, as well as your subterfuge." Livica kicked her leg again, then ordered her to stand. When Shiana didn't move, Livica glared at Ventur, who pulled Shiana to her feet.

"He is not going to support you; stand on your own, if you fall again, I will have one of these large men remind you to follow my orders." Ventur release Shiana, who struggled to remain on her feet, as Livica walked back toward her front door.

"Do you know where you are, Shiana of the Tribes of Santhal? No; well, allow me to tell you where you are; you are in front of my home. Or should I say, my former home, compliments of Colonel Sheppard and the meddlesome Lantians. We were happy here; the threat from the Wraith minimal because we were so far from the Wraith's normal feeding ground. But Sheppard changed that, the Wraith came here when their food supply began to dwindle, and the Replicators followed them. My home stood on a once beautiful street; our neighbors were good people, our children played together."

She returned to stand next to Shiana, "But they are all gone now, all gone. There is talk among the Jutan; now that the Wraith are no longer a threat, they wish to return here, resettle our own planet, start over at home. But I cannot do that, my family is gone and you failed to bring the man responsible to justice."

Shiana's was breathing heavily, her teeth gritted in pain, but she managed to speak, "I lost my family, my planet, as well. I understand your grief, I live with it everyday and I lived with the desire for revenge for a very long time." She swayed trying to keep her balance on one foot, groaning as her right foot grazed the stone sidewalk. "Revenge was all I thought about, and I convinced the council that the people of Atlantis were responsible."

Livica sneered, "Yet, they were allowed to continue to inhabit this galaxy, our galaxy. They awoke the Wraith; they were responsible for the Replicators emergence, once again. Yet, you did not hold them accountable; therefore, I will."

"Think about what you are doing, Livica. You could be a help to your people, lead them back home to make a new life. There is nothing left of my planet; we cannot even return there, the Ancestral Ring was destroyed. But you can return, you can have your home again."

Livica began to pace; she spoke, her voice angry, "You lied to us; you said you were going to give Sheppard to us. But you don't even know where he is, do you? He deserted you didn't he, to save himself, and you were trying to buy time, hoping we would find him. Well, we will find him, but it's too late for you. I was always going to kill you, and the only fitting place to kill you is here where my family lived. I was just hoping for Sheppard to be here to witness your death, another death because of him. No matter, he will die soon enough…I'll just leave your body here for him to see."

Lorne whispered in his COM, "Weapons live, everyone move in to our location; Riva you take the shot, if possible." Riva, a sniper, acknowledged the major. As they waited, Lorne thought he heard movement behind him, but decided it was some of the ground troops moving in.

As Lorne was giving orders, Livica rushed toward Shiana. Reaching into her jacket, Livica withdrew a knife, a slender blade nestled in an ornate sliver handle. Without warning, she flung her arm around Shiana neck and raised the sharp blade to the councilwoman's throat.

"Prepare to die, Shiana."

As Lorne and Herus began to react, a gruff voice spoke, shocking both men. "Let her go, Livica. You don't want her, you want me."

Colonel John Sheppard walked past Lorne; the clean t-shirt he was now wearing revealed the numerous injuries on his arms, the lump from the bandage on his shoulder obvious. His gait was unsteady, and he was clearly weak, but determined. He made a hand gesture to let Lorne know to stand down. As he whispered 'stand down 'til my mark', Lorne glanced back to see Beckett, Teyla behind him, along with Rodriguez and Brenner, The corporals were standing next to a litter now lying on the ground. Scattered behind trees and bushes was Michaels, and Salem's team.

Sheppard slowly approached Livica, "Let her go, she's…no different than you. She's suffered…like you have."

"Oh, how lovely, trying to save the damsel in distress, colonel? Well, you're too late; I will kill her where she stands for allowing you to escape. In fact, I imagine she would love to kill you herself, since you left her to fend for herself."

Sheppard walked toward the women, "No, this is over; let her go, now."

Livica laughed, a note of hysteria in her voice, " And just who is going to stop me? You? You can barely stand. No, revenge is mine. Ventur, shoot him, but don't kill him."

Ventur already had his gun pointed at Sheppard, but before he could squeeze the trigger, a shot rang out and Ventur fell where he stood, dead at the hand of Lieutenant Riva. The other bounty hunters whirled toward Riva's location, only to find a wall of weapons pointed at them.

"I told you, Livica; this is over. Put down the knife, and let her go." While talking to her, Sheppard had been inching closer. He could see the panic and confusion in Livica's eyes. She was cornered and she knew it, which made her very dangerous.

She had pulled the knife away from Shiana's throat when Riva's shot startled her, and Sheppard lunged for it. Livica released Shiana, who fell to the ground, and began to fight Sheppard. As they struggled for the knife, Ronon and several others were running toward them, but Livica managed to break free of his weaken grip. She raised the knife, poised to strike Sheppard when another shot rang out. Blood spilled from a wound in Livica's right shoulder, the knife slipping from her hand, as she fell from the bullet's impact.

As Sheppard dropped to his knees, Ronon reached him, keeping him from falling over. Glancing over his shoulder to see who took the shot, Sheppard smiled faintly as he saw Rodriguez holding a P-90. As he passed out, Sheppard thought how lucky he was to have two expert snipers under his command.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe how pigheaded he is. He shouldn't have been able to function, his temp was nearly 104° by the time we got him back here. Now he's been asleep for three days. I don't understand why Carson allowed him to do something so foolish."

A deep voice retorted, "You try stopping him when he's determined to do something."

"Yeah, well, Ronon, somebody should have stopped him."

Teyla spoke, frustration in her voice, "Rodney, I have asked you to speak softly, you will wake him. Carson said he needs as much rest as possible. John has undergone two surgeries to remove the bullet from his hip and to repair the damaged to his shoulder. Not to mention the massive antibiotics he is taking. Now, please keep your voice down."

"Well, he needs to wake up."

"Rod…ney, shut…up."

Rodney jumped up, nearly dropping his pad onto the floor, only Ronon's quick reflexes caught it in time. Sheppard's three teammates rushed to his bedside.

"John, welcome back," Teyla was beaming as she brushed back his hair. "We were quite worried about you."

Ronon was grinning, "Yeah, you've been asleep a long time."

"H-How long?"

Rodney sputtered, "Three days…"

"Rodney, please; go sit down," Dr. Jennifer Keller entered the room, took Rodney by the arm and pushed him toward the chair. She then turned to Sheppard, "Colonel, good to see you awake; how are you feeling?"

"Okay, I don't really…feel anything."

"I think that's a good thing, colonel, means we're doing our job." Keller glanced at the monitors recording his vital signs. "Your temperature is down, not perfect but down, and your breathing is certainly better. The infection from the first wound became systemic, it was a bit tricky for a while, but you've turned the corner. Now, you need lots of rest.

"Oh…I hate this place; can't…I rest in my…quarters?"

Once your temperature's been normal for twenty-four hours and your surgical wounds have healed a bit, we'll talk. Carson will be in to see you shortly; he's with Shiana right now."

"Shiana's here?"

"Yes, her ankle was broken; she suffered a hairline fracture that became much worse as she was forced to walk through the debris. I had to put a pin in her ankle, so we are keeping her here for a bit."

Sheppard asked suspiciously, "She…giving you any trouble?"

"No, but Ronon does walk past her bed often if that makes you feel any better."

Sheppard uttered a low chuckle, as sleep overcame him once more.

Two days later, a much stronger John Sheppard was eating lunch, assisted by Teyla, when Corporals Brenner and Rodriguez knocked on the door.

"Come on in, guys," Sheppard mumbled, Teyla had just shoved a spoonful of soup in his mouth.

"Don't want to interfere with your lunch, sir," Brenner said.

Sheppard looked down at the bland clear soup, applesauce, and jello on his tray, "I don't think this stuff is considered food, corporal; so interrupt away." He pushed the tray away.

Teyla rolled her eyes, "I had better not find out that Ronon is sneaking you turkey sandwiches from the mess. Carson will be most unhappy."

Feigning surprise, "Teyla, I can't believe you think Ronon would do that."

Teyla picked up the tray, "He's all yours, corporals." She left shaking her head.

Rodriguez's quizzed, "How are those turkey sandwiches, sir?"

"Good corporal, very good." He took a deep breath, wincing slightly; his left shoulder was still painful. "I…I want to thank you both; seems like you always seem to be getting me out of trouble."

Grinning broadly, Rodriguez said, "Yes, sir; the Marine recruiter told us our job was going to be to chase a heroic Air Force colonel across another galaxy and keep him out of trouble."

Sheppard blushed ever so slightly, "Heroic?"

Brenner said, "Yes, sir; heroic, but we were confused with the description, sir….Air Force?"

Sheppard laughed heartily, then scrunched his face up, the laughter was pulling the stitches in his hip and shoulder. "Simper Fi, boys."

"Colonel, we found this in the shop where you were hiding." Brenner held up the mini-crossbow made from pencils.

Sheppard took the mini-crossbow. "We didn't have any weapons and we had to make do with what we had. When Shiana brought me some metal stakes that looked a little like arrows, I remembered this stupid little crossbow. It worked, Shiana, shot a spike through an eye of one of the hunters."

"Pretty ingenious, sir; we thought you'd like to keep it," Brenner said.

Sheppard ran his fingers along the edges of the flat pencils, then handed the crossbow back to Brenner, "No, you guys keep it."

Rodriguez had a serious look on his face, "Colonel, when you feel better, would you considered giving us a lesson in how to make this and some of the other stuff you did? The guys are curious, sir."

Sheppard looked at the serious faces of the young men standing next to his bed, "Sure, I'd be glad to show everyone how to put this together."

"Thanks, sir; well, we'll let you rest. Glad you're doing okay: come on, Ray." Brenner dragged Ray by the arm, and the corporals left, passing Ronon on their way out.

"Got it?"

Ronon grinned and handed Sheppard a foil package, "Cookie said, double turkey, light on the mayo, whole grain bread."

Sheppard grinned.

Later in the afternoon, after a long nap, Sheppard was reading though mission reports when another visitor arrived, Shiana. He laid the pad on his lap.

"Shiana, how are you feeling?"

She turned to the aide pushing her wheelchair, "Please leave us." The aid looked at Sheppard, who nodded, and the aide left.

"Impressive, colonel; even the infirmary aides don't make a move without your approval."

He scoffed, "Most likely, he was afraid to leave, for fear you'd hurt me?"

Her expression remained stoic, "Do you fear me, colonel."

"Fear, no; but I have learned to be cautious of anyone who seems to prefer me dead."

She didn't comment on his statement, "I was impressed by your people, colonel. You told me they would find us, but I assumed it was your arrogance leading you to believe that. After all, you Lantians seem to believe that you are the saviors of the Pegasus galaxy. Yet, they came; and they worked with Kelore and the council as well as the Latiran security to find us. The council is most pleased, colonel."

Sheppard sighed, "Shiana, I know you hate me because I represent all the horrid things that have happened in the galaxy. I'm fine with that…well, I'm not fine with it but I understand it, and I understand Livica." He hesitated, "I…I know; I know what it's like to lose family."

It was Shiana's turn to hesitate, she looked Sheppard in the eye for several seconds before she spoke. "Colonel Sheppard, there are times when our personal tragedies need to become private memories. I will never forgive the Lantians for their role in the tragedies that have occurred here; but I have learned that holding a grudge against all of Atlantis is non-productive. There is much Atlantis can do to improve the lives of the people of Pegasus."

"That's all we ever wanted to do, Shiana."

Shiana called for the aide, who returned to take her back to her bed. "Dr. Beckett is releasing me shortly, colonel; I will return to my new home. I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

Sheppard replied, his voice soft, "You save mine, by putting yourself in danger; thank you."

She didn't respond, only motioned for the aide to leave, but before she left his room, she turned back, "One more thing, colonel; I promised you once we were safe, I'd return to thinking of ways to kill you." Her mouth turned up in the slightest of grins. "Don't forget that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A month had passed since the events on Jutan, and Sheppard had returned to full-time active duty. He was in the armory overseeing a weapons training exercise when Woolsey called him to the control room.

When he arrived, he found the gate activated and Kelore's face on the monitors. He walked over to Woolsey, who was standing at Chuck's station.

"Richard, Kelore, what's going on?"

Woolsey gestured to Kelore, "I'll let him tell you."

"Colonel, today when Livica Ponaes was being transferred from her cell to the tribunal court for a preliminary hearing, a group of men attacked the convoy. Two of my security guards were badly injured, and Ponaes escaped. She made it to the gate before we knew she had escaped. We have no idea where she is, colonel."

"Is Shiana safe?"

"Councilwoman Shiana is on her home planet, colonel. I sent a security team to protect her. They have notified us that she is now secure."

Woolsey spoke, "You have absolutely no idea where Livica's gone, Kelore?"

"No, sir; but we have initiated a search. The council wanted to notify Atlantis as quickly as possible; Colonel Sheppard's life could be in danger."

Sheppard looked distracted, but nodded to Kelore, "Thanks, appreciate the head's up."

Woolsey thanked Kelore and as the gate disengaged, he asked, "Colonel, you seem unsettled."

"I think I know where she is."

A short time later, a jumper exited the stargate on Jutan; inside was Sheppard, his team, along with Isaacs, Stackhouse and their teams. As they flew over the city, they noted people below clearing out debris. The Jutans were reclaiming their home.

McKay looked nervous, "Are you sure about this? She wants to kill you; I mean, isn't this Kelore's problem? You should have told him what you suspect."

Sheppard's heard turned quickly toward McKay. He gazed at the scientist intently, his expression clearly saying enough. Sitting behind Sheppard, Teyla said quietly, "Doctor, the colonel knows what he is doing." McKay didn't look convinced.

Flight time to their destination was less than five minutes, and Sheppard found a landing place about three blocks away in what looked like a schoolyard. Exiting the jumper, Teyla remarked, "It appears that the Jutans are making quick work of clearing this debris."

Sheppard nodded, "Yeah, it's good to see them come home." He then motioned for the teams to move out.

It didn't take long to reach their destination. Some of the debris had been cleared, but the street still looked much as it did the day Livica Ponaes was captured. As they approached Livica's house, Sheppard gave an order, "Everyone stays out here."

McKay protested, "You're not going in there without us." A throaty growl from Ronon seemed to back up McKay's statement.

"John, you are not going in there alone," Teyla's tone was final.

"Okay, but stay behind me."

Silently, the team stepped through the front door. Room by room, they searched the first floor; then climbed the stairs. At the head of the stairs, they could see into a large bedroom. Sheppard whispered, "Wait here." Ignoring Rodney's whisper of no, Sheppard entered the bedroom.

She was lying on the bed, her long blond hair no longer in a braid but spread across the pillows. Lying in her hand, a necklace, bracelet, and ring; on the bed next to her, a leather box; two toys, a stuff animal, and a wooden truck were nestled against her body.

The Genii gun was lying on the floor, her limp arm dangling above it. One shot to the temple had ended her misery. She had died where she lived, where she had wanted Shiana and him to die. Sheppard sat down on the foot of the bed, sensing his team entering the room.

Without looking up, he whispered, "She doesn't hurt anymore."

 

 _The end…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading Bounty. I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Comments are always welcome...
> 
> Thanks again!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading...hope you are enjoying the story so far...let me know!


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